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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29491116">The Broken Piece of the Puzzle</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/cherrycoloredhair/pseuds/cherrycoloredhair'>cherrycoloredhair</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Completing the Puzzle [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Victorious (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Celebrity, Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Bade - Freeform, Candre Friendship, Child Neglect, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Jori Friendship, Legal Drama, Parent-Child Relationship, Pregnancy, cabbie - Freeform, cade friendship, tandre</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-04-15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 04:15:13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death, No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>39,336</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29491116</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/cherrycoloredhair/pseuds/cherrycoloredhair</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Sequel to “The Lost Puzzle Piece”</p><p>After Robbie died, leaving a pregnant Cat alone, she finally becomes a mother causing everyone to think that maybe things will be swell once again. However life has other plans as Cat’s family, that once abandoned her, has come back to town and secrets are unveiled.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Andre Harris/Tori Vega, Beck Oliver/Jade West, Robbie Shapiro/Cat Valentine</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Completing the Puzzle [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2166138</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>19</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Lemonade</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>A someone is still too young to have a child of their own, I’ve never experienced childbirth first hand. Most of this is really just from common knowledge and assumption, so if it’s bad that can explain some of it. </p><p>Also, TW if you find childbirth to be graphic. There are some descriptions, but they aren’t too deep. I’d recommend skipping this chapter and the next if this makes you uncomfortable.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>     Cat groaned as she moved the fridge, pouring herself a glass of lemonade. Cat couldn’t believe how hard it was to be so close to her due date, her stomach made her feel huge. The sheer size of it caused her back to hurt and her bones to ache. Her feet were always swollen, she got nauseous at everything and worst of all; it meant she’d soon be a mother. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>     She was terrified of it. There was no way she’d be a good mother, not without Robbie by her side. He always kept her head clear and helped her before she became too stressed, without she had become overwhelmed way too much. Like the times she broke down at the american music awards or after his funeral. She had no idea how to be a parent, nevermind a single one. Her parents were a terrible example, there was no way she’d ever be ready. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “Hey! I would’ve gotten that for you if you just asked.” Jade called from the living room while getting herself off of the couch. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>     Jade quickly walked into the kitchen and sat down at the kitchen island. Cat shook her head softly, “You know I hate having you guys do everything. I’m pregnant, not useless.” Cat murmured before taking a sip. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “We know, we know,” Jade defended, placing her hands up in defeat, “We just don’t want you getting hurt.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>     Cat sighed before placing her drink down, her hands playing with her hair. “I know, it’s just I’m an adult too. I’m capable of- Ow!” Cat yelped as pain dug into her side, causing her to grab her side to try and ease it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “Cat!” Jade rushed to Cat’s side, grabbing her hands in a tight hold to keep her standing. “What happened?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>     Cat tried to speak but couldn’t, the pain causing her to clench her teeth. The pain reminded her of her previous braxton hicks, false labor contractions, except this time it felt too real. “I-It hurts!” She managed to choke out, making Jade call for Andre and Beck. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “What’s up- oh my god!” Andre quickly jumped at the sight of Cat in pain, Tori right behind him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>     Beck was the last to enter the room, causing Cat to feel overwhelmed with the amount of people around her. She hated being the center of attention, especially since it seemed the world revolved around her for the past nine months. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “Guys, I’m f-fine. It’s just my b-braxton hicks.” Cat croaked, gripping Jade’s hand tightly. Before Jade even had time to argue about going to the hospital a splash echoed through the room. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>     Cat whimpered as she felt her pants become soaked, not even having to look down to know what happened. The pink tinted liquid created a puddle on the ground, tears dripping down her cheeks as it ran down her legs. She stared at Jade with wide eyes, fear evident in her gaze. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “Don’t tell me- oh her water broke!” Andre yelped before running to the trash can, trying his best to suppress his gagging. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>     Tori rushed to his side, rubbing his back. Everyone knew he was always queasy around most bodily fluids and substances. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>     Jade didn’t have time to focus on Andre, her gaze falling back to Cat. “Cat d-don’t worry, we’ll work this out.” Jade comforted, shaken, not even she was able to tell if she was saying that for Cat’s sake or her own. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>     Cat shook her head as tears began to fall from her eyes, “I still have two weeks!” She sobbed. Her knees wobbled as she looked down, the large puddle causing a lump to form in her throat. Her leggings were completely soaked, the cool air causing her to shiver. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “Baby girl, everything is going to be fine.” Jade murmured while turning to Beck, “Grab her hands while I get the keys.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>     Beck nodded as he grabbed Cat’s hands, yelping audibly as she squeezed them tightly when another contraction ran through her body. “Ow! Ow! Cat!” He squeaked causing her to send him a glare before crying out in pain. “How d-do you think I f-feel- Agh!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     Tori looked around as Jade ran through the house, Andre hurled in the trash can, Beck suffered through Cat’s painful grip, and Cat fought her contractions. She couldn’t believe how chaotic they were being, she was basically stunned by it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>      She was snapped out of it by an extra loud pained howl from Cat, making it clear how much it hurt. She ran through the apartment to grab Cat’s hospital bag, something Jade forced her to make a month ago. “Guys, calm down!” She shouted, making everyone look at her. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “I found the keys!” Jade added from the living room. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>     Cat shook her head as she wailed, “I’m not ready! I need R-Robbie!” Beck had to hold in a pained cry as she crushed his hands in her small hands. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>    “Cat, the baby’s ready even if you aren’t. We have to get you to the hospital.” Jade spoke as she peeked into the kitchen. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>     Tori handed Jade the large bag, “Me and Andre will meet you there as soon as possible, I’ll clean up the baby juice before going over there.” Tori murmured, before looking back at Andre who was still leaned over the trash can. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “Okay, come quick. You know how much she’s going to need him.” Jade whispered. Tori nodded as Jade called out for Beck, yelling at him to help Cat to the car. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “I’m s-sorry I made a m-mess.” She whimpered as Beck lead her out of the kitchen. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>     Cat shook her head as he walked her to the car, her trembling legs causing them to move too slowly. In the rush of the moment, Beck picked her up bridal style and ran to the car. He sat them both in the back seat, not wanting her to be alone in the back. The car ride consisted of lots of speeding, which left Beck confused on how they didn’t get pulled over, and pained noises from Cat that only seemed to get worse as time passed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>       “Cat, no matter what happens, do not push! I repeat, don’t push!” Jade shouted from the driver's seat, slamming down on the horn when they got caught in traffic. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>     Cat began to become light headed from all the pain, the pressure in her pelvis yelled at her to push. She knew deep down it would lessen the pain and give her a break, but it was like Jade could read her mind. The second she thought of doing so Jade told her not to, making her groan loudly. “I h-have to!” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “Cat, we’re so close to the hospital, if you push I will go back there and-“ Jade was cut off as Cat let out another pained moan, sweat now dripping down her forehead. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “Maybe you should just drive.” Beck squealed, flinching as Cat clutched his hands in a hurtful grip. </span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <span>    “Andre, quit being such a baby.” Tori rolled her eyes as Andre continued to throw up into the bin, unable to stare at the cloudy puddle while knowing what it came from. “Go to the bathroom and clean yourself up, I’ll mop it up.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>     Andre didn’t waste a second to leave the room, leaving Tori to shake her head in fake disappointment. It didn’t take long for her to finish, with a sigh she grabbed Cat’s abandoned cup of lemonade and took a sip. She quickly spat it out into the sink, rubbing the rest from her lip. “It’s warm, gross.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>     She wiped her brow, sighing as the shrill ring of her phone boomed through the room. Without a second thought she picked it up. “Hello?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Hey, Jade wanted me to tell you guys to hurry up. Cat’s only 3 centimeters, whatever that means.” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Beck stated from the other end of the phone. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “So, how’s she holding up?” Tori asked before calling for Andre to hurry up and get into the car. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>    “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Jade’s doing fine, a little stressed but I mean… you meant Cat. She’s in pain, obviously, but she refuses the epidural or anything like that.” Beck’s voice was drained out as Jade’s shouts at the doctor became too loud, Jade demanding something to make Cat’s experience better. “Hey, uh, I gotta go. Jade was just kicked out of the room.” </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    
  </em>
  <span>“Okay, We’ll be there in a few minutes.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>    By the time they reached the hospital and got to Cat’s room they found Jade and Beck waiting outside, causing them to become confused. “So she’s just alone in there or…” Andre lifted a brow at Beck, trying to put two and two together. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “I was kicked out too.” Beck mumbled, crossing his arms while huffing. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>    “What the heck could you have possibly done?” Tori asked, baffled. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “I argued for Jade to come back in. They didn’t like me yelling.” He looked to the ground as Jade cussed him out under her breath. “Hey, the doctor has to be in a bad mood at this point.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “Whatever, we’ll try not to get kicked out either.” Tori grumbled, waving to Andre quickly. “Andre, come on.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>     They each entered the room to find a very stressed Cat, sweat dripping down her temple as she looked at the other two with a relieved look. “Finally, I’m not alone.” She whined as she relaxed her head back. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>     Andre moved to Cat’s side and ran a hand through her hair, her red hair damp with sweat. He frowned as she clenched her teeth, suppressing a cry of pain, leaning into his touch for comfort. “Lil’ Red, why don’t you accept the pain killer.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>     Tori was already at her other side, holding one of Cat’s hands. Unlike Beck, she didn’t even flinch when Cat crushed her hand, at least not on the outside. Cat’s strength shocked Tori. “Cat, it’ll make this easier.” Tori added with a nod. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>     Cat shook her head before relaxing again, her eyes filled with tears. “I d-don’t want to.” She whined, shaking her head softly. “I’m scared.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “Cat, there’s nothing to be scared of. The needle isn’t that long.” Tori comforted quickly, rubbing circles into the back of Cat’s hand with her thumb. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “N-no, I’m scared of b-being a mom. I’m n-not ready.” She whimpered, looking up at Tori with tearfilled eyes. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “Cat, don’t be. You’re going to be such an amazing, loving, caring mom. I know that, Andre knows that, even Robbie knows that.” Tori murmured, giving her hand a gentle squeeze. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>     Cat’s tears fell softly at the mention of Robbie, still sensitive to his name. She knew he would’ve been the best father ever. So loving and caring, she felt her tears come stronger as the thought of him not being here hit her like a train. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>     She would really meet their baby without him. He didn’t have a chance to meet their baby. He wouldn’t be able to help her name them or be excited when they would find out whether she gave birth to a boy or a girl. She began to start sobbing just as her doctor appeared to check her stats. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>    “Oh, come on. Which one of you made her start to cry? We can’t have her stressed out.” The doctor groaned. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>     Andre stared at them confused, shocked to see someone other than Dr. Brown. His pale white skin and gray hair couldn’t even fool him for a second. That would explain why Jade and Beck were so easily kicked out of the room. He could already tell that this doctor was full of chiz.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “I swear I didn’t mean to, it’s a long story.” Tori begged, frowning when the doctor pointed to the door. “Oh, come on!” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>    “It’s only until the baby is born.” The doctor clarified, dusting off his hands as he settled in front of Cat. Andre watched as Tori angrily left the room, clearly fighting against slamming the door shut. Andre stood next to Cat, holding her hands now as the doctor checked her progress. Cat whimpered and cried in pain as she felt the doctor move her legs to look in and measure how dilated she was. She whined at the uncomfortable feeling of his fingers, looking up at Andre with a pained expression. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>     Everytime Cat looked at him with those wide eyes filled with pain and tears he felt his heart hurt. It was like watching someone kick a happy baby but not being able to do anything to stop it. To him that was exactly what it was, Cat was his baby sister. If not by blood, then by friendship. The innocence deep within her gaze only made it worse as he could only try his best to ease her pain. His hand combed through her hair softly and wiped the sweat from her brow before it could drip too far. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “She’s only five so far..” The doctor mumbled underneath his breath while lifting himself up and throwing away his gloves. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>    Cat relaxed as her legs were laid back down onto the bed, letting out a shaky whimper as another contraction shook her body. Andre looked concerned before moving towards the doctor as he turned to leave. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “Hey, Do you know what happened to her usual doctor. Dr. Brown I think she was.” Andre questioned, taken aback as the doctor shrugged. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “She’s on vacation, she couldn’t make it right now. She planned to be back before the due date, but clearly,” He clicked his tongue while pointing at a sweaty Cat, “I’m her replacement right now. She said not to stress Cat out because based on her full pregnancy it could cause some problems. I’m just trying my best here.” He said, quickly scribbling something down onto his clipboard. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>     Andre nodded slowly, “Could I get your name?” He questioned, feeling the doctor was a tad bit unprofessional.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “Just call me Dr. Williams.” Dr. Williams reached out a hand for a handshake. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>     Andre took it carefully, holding back a frown as he knew what those fingers had previously touched, even if they were gloved. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>    Time seemed to move by way too slowly for both Andre and Cat, they ran out of conversation topics hours ago and Cat’s pain just kept getting worse. She kept complaining about how bad each contraction was, her body aching at each movement.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     They had been in the room alone for at least seven hours, both of them starving and bored. Cat couldn’t even think about eating because every few minutes she was hit with pain and Andre didn’t want to stuff his face in front of her without her being able to. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “Andre, it hurts.” She whimpered as she felt her muscles in her pelvis contract, it took every ounce of strength in her body to not scream.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    By now she felt weak, her body wanting to sleep however her labor pain made it impossible. Her contractions were only minutes apart, leaving her to believe she had to be close by now. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “The doctor should be here soon, it’s almost time for your hourly check up- speak of the  devil.” Andre muttered as the doctor walked in, quickly putting on a new pair of gloves. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “By now you should be dialed enough to get this show on the road.” The doctor announced from between her legs, causing Andre’s face to curl awkwardly. “Haha! Yeah, you’re about 10 centimeters now. Let me just get the midwives and we can start this thing.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>    Cat stared at Andre while shaking her head, “I’m not r-ready, Andre. I can’t do this!” She cried, her hands gripping his tightly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>    “Cat, everything is going to be fine. You’re going to do great, I promise.” Andre murmured, watching as three midwives entered the room behind the doctor. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>     He struggled to not close his eyes as they put Cat in the proper spread eagle position, suddenly hating the fact that he was all alone with her a lot more than he should. “Are you the father?” The first lady asked, dipping a rag in cool water before ringing it out. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>    “No, I’m actually just her brother.” He sputtered, scared he’d get kicked out for not being family. He gave the woman an awkward smile as she looked the both of them up and down before shrugging. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>    The doctor settled at the foot of the bed, noticing that the head began to poke out. “Ok, so the head is starting to show. That means the baby should be in the proper position for you to start pushing.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>     Cat screamed out as she finally pushed for the first time, the urge to push overwhelming. The temporary release of pressure causing tears of relief to roll down her face. Andre watched as her face relaxed for a second before becoming stressed again. He couldn’t help but look forward to see what was going on down there.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>     He instantly regretted looking at Cat’s nether regions, the sight of the baby’s hair and bloodied fluid poking out caused him to become lightheaded. Cat called out his name but he couldn’t hear as he collapsed on the ground, fainting at the sight he saw. </span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Finish Line</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Cat finally gives birth without the gang with her.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>same stuff as last chapter, it’s probably not accurate and tw if birth makes you uncomfortable!!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>    Andre, Beck, Tori, and Jade all now sat in the waiting room. Each of them with their arms crossed and frowns. They laughed in frustration as they watched two nurses drag and unconscious Andre into one of the chairs. Andre had woken up moments earlier to being cussed out by the other members. “Why the heck would you even consider looking!” Jade shouted, angry at him for being forced to leave Cat alone in the delivery room. </p><p>      They could all hear Cat’s screams of bloody murder from where they were sitting, horrified as they only seemed to get worse as time passed. It seemed never ending to them, her high pitched voice making the screams even worse. They could each hear how much it hurt, leaving them feeling terrible for not being there.</p><p>     He held his arms up in defense, “I didn’t think it would look like that!” </p><p>    “You threw up when her water broke! Why in the world would you even think ‘what would it look like?’ It’d look gross!” Jade argued, face palming as he tried to defend himself once more. </p><p>    “How do you think I feel! Cat’s lady parts are forever drilled into my memory.” He grumbled, rubbing his temples to soothe himself. </p><p>     Tori softly slapped them both on the arm to shut them up, “Oh come on! We’re all stupid. After all, I don’t see any of you guys in there with her.” She argued as Jade muttered something under breath while slouching in her chair. “Why were you even kicked out in the first place?” </p><p>     “She cussed out the doctor.” Beck stated, crossing his leg. He had no idea how the night had ended with all of them being temporarily banned from the delivery room, each of them with their own stupid reason. </p><p>      “Why would you do that?” Andre began, looking at her with wide eyes. </p><p>      “He was being stupid!” Jade shouted, slapping Beck away softly when he tried to shut her up. </p><p>     “Oh, come on! We can all agree that doctor is just crusty and stupid, right?” Tori spoke, nodding her head at the others. A quiet chorus of ‘yes’s came from the others, each of them with their arms crossed. </p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>      Cat screamed as she let out another push, collapsing back onto the bed as she gave up, sobbing quietly as she shook her head sadly. “I-I can’t do it.” </p><p>      Cat felt all alone in the room, with no one she knew being able to be with her. She partly felt like her friends getting kicked out was bogus, but she was too scared to ask. Part of her was also grateful that she was alone because that meant her friends wouldn’t have to see her in the messy state she was in. </p><p>     Her hair stuck to her forehead with sweat, making it look like she had just gone through a windy rainstorm. Tears still rolled down her eyes from pain, emotional and physical. Her skin was red from stress. But most of all, they didn’t have to see her give up because that was all Cat wanted to do. </p><p>      Mary, the oldest midwife, quickly wiped Cat’s brow with a cool, damp cloth. “Honey, you can do it.” She murmured, cleaning the tears from Cat’s cheeks. </p><p>      Cat trembled as she looked up the older lady, “It hurts and I’m tired…” She whimpered, clenching her teeth tightly to not scream in pain. </p><p>     Her voice felt raw from screaming so loud, her vocal cords almost completely dried out at this point. She was almost too grateful each time one of the nurses helped her get a sip of water, but she became worried each time one of them used her name. Even if the hospital was forced to not leak any information, she was still scared that somehow the press would find out she had given, or was giving, birth. </p><p>     “Caterina, I need you to do your thing again.” The doctor called from between her legs, making her groan. </p><p>     “Sweetheart, I know you can. You got this.” Mary murmured, giving Cat a helpful smile. </p><p>     It took Cat every bone in her body to nod slowly, trying her best to return the smile. “Okay, on the count of 1… 2… and 3!” </p><p>      Cat’s body shook with pain as she forced herself to put all her might into her push, a loud shriek escaping her throat quickly. She noticed how everyone in the room flinched at the sound however she didn’t have time to be embarrassed as she felt the burning pain of her cervix being stretched. </p><p>     “A little bit harder, I can see them!” </p><p>      Cat nearly gave up, her push becoming weaker as the seconds clicked by. She closed her eyes in agony, the image of Robbie flickering in her mind. In that moment, she was pretty sure it was him that gave her the energy to continue, her shouts becoming louder as she put more effort into her main task. </p><p>      The gang became anxious from the waiting room as her screams of bloody murder became much clearer to them, meaning that her pain had to have at least doubled. Tori grabbed Andre’s hand, squeezing it softly once she saw the worry on his face. Once the screaming stopped the world seemed to still and the silence became deafening. None of them moved after in the few seconds that no sound was made. </p><p>      Cat’s eyes snapped open as the pressure in her lower abdomen disappeared, the feeling of the tiny body slipping out of her after the head made her heart drop into her stomach. The seconds of silence seemed to drag along she became more and more worried, her instincts already kicking in. She didn’t relax once the pain did, her muscles just as tense as the room. Her mind was just as quiet as the room, one thought making her head pound. Is it real, am I really a mom now? </p><p>     Her question was answered as the shrill cry of her newborn echoed through the room, causing her to let out a sob of relief. She fell back onto the bed as her shoulders shook as she cried right alongside her baby. </p><p>     “It’s a boy!” </p><p>      Cat caught her breath as the nurses and doctors around her took care of her baby, trying her best to compose herself yet not being able to. The infant’s cry was music to her ears, she was completely compliant as they dealt with the afterbirth while caring for her child. </p><p>     The moment they finally offered for her to hold the baby for the first time she stared at them like they were crazy, wondering how they didn’t look at her like she was. She knew she probably looked like a mess with her messy hair and tear stained face. “Really?” </p><p>     The nurse giggled softly, “It’s your baby.” They helped Cat sit up in order to hold the baby properly, time seemed to pause when they actually placed the crying infant into her arms. Her tears stopped as she looked directly at her baby boy, watching as he calmed down at her touch. </p><p>     Her heart fluttered as she stared at the tiny mop of messy black hair that sat on his head, reminding her of his father. As the baby’s cries settled into whimpers, his eyes slowly opened. He stared at Cat with his unfocused gray eyes, she stared right back at him with all the love in the world. Even if his eyes were still light due to lack of pigment, she knew he had his father’s eyes. </p><p>     She couldn’t believe that the tiny creature had come out from inside of her, even though she had a dull ache in her pelvis for proof. He was just too perfect for her, especially by looking exactly like his father. Her bottom lip wobbled as she remembered Robbie, someone who was unable to be in the room with her. He deserved to be in the room right alongside her, not in his grave however miles away. The baby was just as much her son as they were his. </p><p>     She fought back the tears, but failed as they began to slowly roll down her cheeks and drip onto her chin. The small baby that was watching his mother quickly did the same, copying Cat as he soon began to cry. His cry caused her heart to ache, the sight of her poor baby letting out wails hurt to see. His lungs almost seemed too powerful to Cat but the nurses and doctors with previously hurt ears would agree that he received that trait from her. </p><p>     Cat glanced up at the nurse as if she did something wrong, tears dripping down from her eyes. “Honey, he’s probably just hungry. How about I set you up to breastfeed while someone else gets your friends from the waiting room?” </p><p>    Cat nodded slowly before looking back down at her nameless baby, even his crying face was beautiful to her. She took in each one of his features, deciding whether he got it from her or Robbie. </p><p>     </p><p>    By the time they all piled into Cat’s room, the baby was pressed against her chest, hidden from their eyes as he nursed. Tori and Beck cooed because of the baby as Andre and Jade each took a side of Cat’s bed, each of them looking down at her. “I’m really sorry the doctor was stupid enough to kick all of us out, we didn’t mean to leave you alone. That dumb doctor was full of it.” Jade murmured, while petting Cat’s damp hair. </p><p>    “I swear I didn’t mean to look, I didn’t want to stare at your lady bits, it was automatic, I swear!” Andre added in a hushed tone, his hands gripping the railing as he stared down at the baby wrapped in a white blanket. He quickly covered his eyes to avoid staring at her boob, trying his best to make up for fainting. </p><p>    Cat hardly acknowledged the two of them, her main focus being the infant in her arms. She had to admit that it felt weird to feel his mouth against her nipple, especially because it was not as easy as others made it seem. She had struggled at first with pain but soon the two of them managed to work something out, relaxing them both. “He’s perfect.” She whispered, glancing up at the gang before looking right back down. </p><p>    “It’s a he?” Tori questioned from the foot of the bed, trying to catch a glance of the baby’s face. </p><p>     Cat nodded before suddenly beginning to cry silently again, tears rolling down her face. This caused Tori’s jaw to drop, for some reason always being the reason for her tears. “He’s too p-perfect. I can’t raise them like they d-deserve.” She whimpered, causing Jade to pat her shoulder softly. </p><p>      “Cat, you’re already a great mother.You’ve done more in this short amount of time than some mothers have done ever.”  Andre murmured, slowly relaxing into the seat next to her bed. </p><p>     Cat cradled the baby close to her chest gently, her movements slow and soft as if she was scared to break him. Which she was, she was terrified of hurting him. How could she not when he was so small compared to her? She closed her eyes to stop her tears, the feeling of her baby with her comforting her. </p><p>      <em>Robbie wiped her brow with a smile, looking down at Cat with a loving gaze. “You did it, I love you.” He murmured, his smile huge as he looked down at the bundle in her arms. </em></p><p>       “<em>We did it.</em>” She whispered quiet enough so the others wouldn’t hear, pressing a kiss to her son’s head. </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Natural Instincts</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The first night/second day at the hospital.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I would take everything about the hospital and the nurses with a grain of salt bc I didn’t do much research about what goes on, so there’s that! </p><p>Also I don’t really like this chapter(a big reason why it took so long), but it is just a filler chapter until the drama starts!!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>     Cat watched nervously as Jade handled the baby, the rest of the gang huddled over her to get a look at the baby. She didn’t understand how in movies the parents handed off the baby to whoever wanted to hold them. She felt her anxiety spike when just Jade held him and she trusted Jade with her life. </p><p>    Jade looked down at the sleeping baby, she hated to admit it, but she didn’t hate it. Maybe it was because the baby belonged to Cat, but for some reason she didn’t want to punt it. “He looks just like Robbie.” Tori murmured from over her shoulder while the others all agreed. </p><p>     “He also doesn’t have a name.” Andre added from behind her, glancing towards Cat. </p><p>    Cat nestled into the pillows of the hospital bed, the thin sheets pulled up to her elbows. “I don’t know,” She nervously scratched her temple as she looked away from the others, “I kind of liked Arthur Shapiro.” </p><p>      “I think it sounds good.” Beck said as he tilted his head to the baby, taking in his tiny features. </p><p>     “Why Arthur? It sounds good but that’s kinda random coming from you.” Jade murmured quietly, unable to take her eyes off of the peaceful face in front of her. </p><p>     “Arthur Smith was one of Robbie’s favorite comedians,” Cat murmured, closing her eyes softly as the previous day caught up to her, “Plus, I’ve always liked that name I guess.” </p><p>     Andre watched as Cat fought slumber, opening her eyes each time they closed for too long to stare at her baby. He carefully moved to her side, patting her side softly. “Cat, get some rest.” </p><p>     Cat nodded softly, murmuring softly as she closed her eyes. It didn’t take long for her to fall asleep, the lack of energy from labor consuming her completely. </p><p>      Jade gently placed the baby back into it’s hospital crib, watching as he squirmed under the blankets. Jade held her breath, afraid he’d begin to cry and wake his sleeping mother. She quickly let that breath go as the baby relaxed, scowling as Tori chuckled in the background. </p><p>     “Wow, Jade, I’ve never seen you be so gentle.” Tori laughed, covering her giggles with her hand. </p><p>     Jade growled at Tori, “Please, like I’d manhandle a baby.” </p><p>     “I’ve seen you make them cry, I wouldn’t doubt it.” Andre added from beside Cat. </p><p>     “That’s different.” She grumbled through clenched teeth, her blue eyes sending hatred to the other two. </p><p>     “There’s no need to get frisky, let's not wake them up. Then we’ll really have a reason to be kicked out.” Beck mumbled from the corner seat, glancing at Cat’s sleeping form. </p><p>     They each settled down quickly, the sound of Cat’s quiet snores filling the room. Jade’s eyes continued to fly between Cat and her baby, unable to focus on one of them. She couldn’t seem to relax, unable to believe that something bad wouldn’t happen. </p><p>     She nearly leaped from her seat at the feel of hands on her shoulders, grumbling when it was just Beck. “Calm down,” He murmured, rubbing her shoulders, “They’re just asleep, nothing bad is going to happen.” </p><p>     Jade looked up at Beck, her head resting on the back of the chair. “I know, it’s just weird.” She whispered, groaning when Tori heard her. </p><p>     “What’s weird?” Tori questioned, looking up from her phone. </p><p>     “Everything, I guess.” Jade mumbled with a shrug, “The baby is like, actually breathing.” </p><p>    Andre chuckled at Jade, laughing at her awkwardness. “You mean doing what it’s supposed to?” </p><p>     Jade shot him a look, “You know what I mean.” She moved next to Cat, allowing Beck to sit in her chair as she swapped seats. She raised a hand to softly pet Cat’s arm as she slept, staring down at the younger girl with a soft gaze. “She’s actually a mom now… I didn’t think it would happen so quickly. It’s like just yesterday she was telling me about her and Robbie’s first date.” </p><p>      Andre raised a brow at her from the other side of the bed, his hands resting on his lap. “It just shows how we aren’t high schoolers anymore.” He glanced around the small room, seeing nothing but other young adults and a baby. </p><p>     Tori smiled softly, her eyes softening as she stared at the sleeping infant. His hands were curled into fists and rested next to his pink tinted face and his black hair covered his forehead. “Remember when Robbie was still chasing her around the halls, I can’t believe they actually fell in love.” </p><p>     “I didn’t think he had it in him, I owe that loser 5 bucks.” Jade murmured causing Beck to instantly look at her with wide eyes. “What?” </p><p>    Beck shook his head with a smirk, his gaze resting on Cat. “You know they were always crazy about each other.” He murmured, flipping his long hair back with a smile. He remembered the nights where Robbie would try and convince him to tell him his secrets on getting girls. Beck never did tell him anything. </p><p>    Tori’s smile softly faded as she glanced at the new mother and her child, a frown settling on her lips. “I can’t believe this is how they turned out. He didn’t deserve this.” She murmured, looking down at Arthur with sad eyes.</p><p>    “We can’t change what happened, we can only move forward.” Andre frowned, glancing at Cat. </p><p> </p><p>    Cat shifted in her sleep, the bed suddenly becoming a lot more uncomfortable than she remembered. She spent the entire night constantly waking up and tending to her baby with help from a nurse after the visiting hours ended. She chose not to pick one of her friends to stay, not wanting to limit their sleep. The nurse did help her learn most things she needed like how his sleeping pattern would be completely off for the first couple of months and how he needed to eat every couple of hours. </p><p>    She slowly rose as the piercing cry of her baby became clearer in her mind, her heart dropping as her eyes scanned the room. She relaxed once she saw that he was still in his makeshift crib with Andre and Tori leaned over him. </p><p>      Both of them failed to calm the baby down, his cries becoming stronger the more they attempted to rock him or soothe him. “What are you guys doing?” Cat questioned quietly making them jump. Andre held his chest as he caught his breath, turning to look at Cat. “I thought you were asleep.” He gasped. </p><p>     Cat shook her head softly, “Not anymore.” She pointed softly to the crib, the wails still blasting through the room loudly. “We didn’t want to wake you up, but the lil’ guy just randomly woke up into sobs.” Tori explained, reaching into the crib to pick the screaming child up. </p><p>     Cat watched as Tori’s anxiety spiked while he cried harder in her grasp, making Tori quickly hand him off to Cat. She grabbed him carefully, cuddling him against her chest. “We checked, it’s not his diaper.” Andre shuddered, shivering at the memory of having to argue who would check it. </p><p>      They watched in shock as Arthur calmed down in his mother’s hold, his screaming lowered to whimpers at her touch. “He’s probably hungry.. What time is it?” Cat questioned with a murmur while looking down at his scrunched face. </p><p>      “It’s only like 10 am, why?” Tori answered, sitting down in one of the chairs. </p><p>      Cat shook her head, not bothering to answer the question as she moved the blanket over her shoulder to properly feed him while being modest. They sat in silence as the baby relaxed completely, Cat softly rubbing his back as he suckled. “So, where are Beck and Jade?” She questioned after a moment. </p><p>     She stared at them as neither of them spoke, entranced by the fact that Cat was already such a good mother. Her movements were smooth and caring as she handled Arthur, her maturity radiating through the room. Their eyes focused on her as the baby settled down. “Guys?” </p><p>     Tori shook her head while blushing, quickly looking away to the side. “Sorry, it’s just weird to see you so, you know- I don’t know how to explain it.” She murmured, looking at Andre for help. </p><p>     “Mature? Motherly? I don’t really know either.” He mumbled, his hand resting on his chin as he stared at Cat. They were both so used to the childish Cat they had known for the past years that seeing her act so motherly seemed odd. “You’re just so good at it, I guess.” </p><p>      “If only you guys saw me last night, I was a mess.” Cat whispered, her hand gently massaging her baby’s back as his tiny gurgling sounds could be heard. She was quick to admit that through the night the nurse had to hold her hand for everything, the only thing she had was a touch that calmed him down instantly. “So, where are they?” </p><p>     “Oh yeah, sorry.” Tori blushed, softly kicking her foot out in front of her. “They’re out grabbing some breakfast, they don’t want you to have to eat hospital food. They should be back soon.” </p><p>     Cat nodded with a smile, “Good because the only good thing here are the pudding cups.” She giggled. </p><p>      </p><p>     By the time Beck and Jade arrived and everyone finished eating, they all sat around the room talking. Arthur was still cuddled against Cat’s chest in a light slumber, his tiny fist gripping her hospital gown tightly. They’re conversation was cut short as a knock on the door could be heard, a small nurse entering quickly after. “Good morning! I’m here for.. Arthur Robert Shapiro?” </p><p>      Cat nodded quickly, her hand patting his back softly. The arrival of the nurse caused him to stir, his big eyes opening slowly. “That would be him.” She murmured, smiling as she looked at her son. </p><p>     The brunette nurse smiled back, “I’m just here to take him to his check up to make sure everything’s A-okay. If everything is as it should be, I don’t see why you wouldn’t be getting discharged later today if you meet the requirements.” The nurse moved next to Cat to help place Arthur in his crib for the journey to the nursery, however he quickly began to fuss, refusing to let go of Cat’s shirt to stay near her warmth. </p><p>      Cat frowned, trying her best to coax him off without crying herself. She whimpered when he began to sob in disagreement, her hand softly holding his on her gown to try and pry it off gently. Her heart broke when he finally let go and the nurse laid him in his crib, he gasped for air as he cried. Cat placed a hand softly on his belly, massaging the sobbing baby to try and get him to calm down.</p><p>     It only took a minute for his wails to settle down, making Cat's heart hurt when she pulled away. “I’ll try and get this done as quickly as possible.” She murmured before exiting the room with the whimpering baby in tow. </p><p>     Cat watched them leave with a heavy heart, his cries echoing in her mind. She felt awful for allowing him to go so easily, she betrayed his trust for her. He loved her and she had caused him to cry, it made her want to puke. The gang watched as a lone tear rolled down her cheek, falling down to her chin. </p><p>     “Cat..” Jade murmured, moving to Cat’s side. She rubbed her back softly, causing Cat to look up at her with sad eyes. “He’s only going to be gone for a few minutes.” </p><p>     “What if something happens? What if something happens like it did to Robbie? The last thing I did was make him cry? What if he doesn’t love me anymore?” Cat whimpered, wincing as she pulled her knees to her chin, the soreness from yesterday settling in. </p><p>     “Cat, calm down. We’re in a hospital, there are doctors and nurses everywhere. If anything bad were to happen, which it won’t, they can help.” Jade said softly. She hated to think that Cat would always have second thoughts about things, mainly about everything that could go wrong. Her anxiety since Robbie’s death was through the roof sometimes. </p><p>     “He has Robbie’s blood in him, it’s in his veins to love you.” Beck joked with a smile, his smile fading when no one laughed. </p><p>     “Cat, he already loves you so much it’s crazy. This morning you calmed him down in less than a minute.” Tori spoke, giving her a sympathetic smile. </p><p>     Andre nodded along with Tori, stepping behind her and placing his hands on her shoulders and vigorously rubbing them. “Me and Tori couldn’t calm him down for the life of us, you did it in two seconds.” Andre added, Tori agreeing with him. </p><p>     Cat whimpered, wiping her tears with the back of her hand quickly. She wanted to believe them but she felt so empty without him next to her. She knew they were most likely only weighing him and checking his stats to make sure he was healthy, but she couldn’t see him.</p><p>       She was scared that her sitting in the hospital bed would turn into that fateful evening when she was told that Robbie wouldn’t come back. She couldn’t breathe at the idea of losing Arthur. He was hardly two days old and she already couldn’t imagine life without him.</p><p>      “You see? You’re a great mom already. He loves you so much.” Jade murmured, patting Cat’s head softly. </p><p>      Cat leaned into Jade’s touch softly, her expression empty as she looked down in her lap. She sat through the next fifteen minutes of conversation silently, only perking up when a knock was heard once more. She watched nervously as the nurse re-entered with her baby, afraid she’d give bad news. </p><p>      “Good news, for being two weeks early Arthur is doing well. He’s around six pounds and is healthy. As long as he continues to eat, sleep, and poop normally I don’t see a reason why you shouldn’t be discharged tomorrow.” The nurse smiled, her fingers softly tickling his belly as she moved him next to Cat’s bed. </p><p>     Her smile turned sympathetic when she noticed Cat relaxed and let out a breath, “You shouldn’t worry about him too much, he’s a very healthy baby.” </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Motherly Love</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Cat’s mother surprises her by visiting town with her brother.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>oop-</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>        Cat sighed slightly as she opened the door, a sleeping baby resting on her shoulder. As much as she loved Arthur, she had to admit that she was tired out of her mind. While he didn’t cry often, and when he did he didn’t cry for long, she had gotten a collective of 5 hours of sleep within the past two days at home. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>       She knew it’d be so much easier if she had Robbie, she knew he would’ve been willing to check on Arthur when he was crying in the middle of the night. And while her friends offered to stay overnight again, she declined. This was her son, she believed she could do it if she tried hard enough. She didn’t babysit with Sam through highschool for nothing. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “Hey guys.” She murmured, allowing the gang to enter her home. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “We brought bagels!” Andre cheered quietly as he moved to place the box on the counter. His smile turned awkward when he noticed the heavy bags under Cat’s eyes, she merely rubbed her eyes while mumbling a thanks. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “Baby girl, you don’t look good.” Jade pointed out, staring at Cat’s tired form. They could all see how exhausted she was by the fact that she was still wearing yesterday’s shirt, of course it was one of Robbie’s oversized sweatshirts that covered her shorts and thighs completely. Her hair was loosely thrown into a messy bun while the bags under her eyes were basically purple. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>    Cat gently patted Arthur’s back before gently sitting on the couch, “I’m just tired, that’s all.” She yawned, gently rocking Arthur against her chest. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>     Tori cringed slightly as Cat yawned again, almost falling asleep with him in her arms. “Cat, when was the last time you slept?” She questioned, staring at Cat with a concerned look. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “I don’t know, a couple hours ago maybe?” She murmured, glancing at Tori before looking down at Arthur with a gentle smile. As much as she loved sleep, she couldn’t deny that staying awake so long for him was worth it. Every time she saw his small, cute face or mess of hair she felt her heart leap. She didn’t think she could love another thing as much as she loved Robbie but Arthur made it possible. Even so, she was hardly able to sleep for 30 minutes straight before he began to cry to be held.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “Why don’t you take a nap now, I mean we’re all here if something happens.” Beck offered, the others quickly nodding along. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “I don’t know guys, he gets fussy whenever I try to place him down and it’s not advised to sleep with him-” Arthur seemed to make Cat’s point by nuzzling deeper into her collarbone, his fist tangling in her hair. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “Cat, have you tried moving the crib next to your bed?” Andre asked while dogging down one of the bagels, not even caring to toast it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>     Cat looked down quickly, rubbing her baby’s back for her own comfort. “No.. Jade would kill me for moving something heavy and I haven’t been able to really place him down long enough to try.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “Well you don’t know if you never try.” Cat watched as without a second's hesitation Andre dropped his bagel and moved to the nursery with Beck following behind. It only took them minimal conversation to move it into Cat’s room. “You oughta try that.” Andre dusted his hands off for emphasis as he appeared back into the living room. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “Thanks guys, I really mean it.” Cat carefully lifted herself from the couch and moved into her bedroom. She gently lifted him from her shoulder, nearly bursting into tears when Arthur wiggled uncomfortably as she placed him down into his crib. She looked up at Tori with tears in her eyes as she entered the room, “H-he’s going to cry.” She whimpered, sniffling softly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      Tori stepped next to Cat, leaning slightly next to the crib, her hand softly rubbing his exposed belly. “He just loves you too, Cat.” Tori spoke, both of them watching as Arthur squirmed under the touch of her cool hand. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>     Tori gently removed her hand, replacing it with Cat’s. His eyes opened and stared at them with his unfocused eyes, “Hey baby.” Cat murmured, her fingers brushing past his cheek. Arthur gurgled his tiny hand grabbing onto her finger tightly causing Cat to squeak quietly. He mindlessly waved his hand around, dragging her finger along with it. Cat giggled quietly at the interaction, his soft noises settling down into a light nap. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “You good?” Tori asked Cat, watching as she tried to wipe the sleep from her eyes. Cat quickly nodded, relaxing back onto her bed with a yawn. “Yeah, I will be.” She couldn’t lie, even with all her friends offering to help her constantly, she felt like because Robbie was gone she didn’t have anyone to rely on. Whenever he cried it made her want to cry because she would become too overwhelmed with the fear of not being able to calm him down. “I’m just gonna take a nap.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>     Tori moved to the door, shutting off the light quietly. “We’ll all be in the living room if you need anything.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “Kay kay.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>    The four of them spent the last hour messing around quietly, talking, eating, whatever they could entertain themselves without being loud enough to wake up Cat or the baby.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>   “Ew, I know you don’t actually like black coffee.” Andre gagged, shooing Jade away jokingly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>     Jade teasingly smacked his arm, pushing him into the cushions of the couch. “It’s not bad! It's just a little different. That’s how I like it.” She playfully growled, biting the air in his direction. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>     Tori shook her head softly as she came in from the kitchen, placing her steaming cup on the coffee table before relaxing next to Andre. “Trina might be coming from New York later today.” She spoke while crossing her legs. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>     Andre wrapped an arm around Tori’s shoulder as Jade fake gagged, “And you tried to tell her no? Did that not work?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>     Tori rolled her eyes softly, leaning into Andre’s side. “You know Trina, I couldn’t stop her from coming even if she and Cat weren’t friends,” She stopped mid sentence when a knock was heard through the room, “Look, that might be her now.” She lifted herself off of the couch with a sigh as she moved to the door. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>      She opened it swiftly, not caring to look through the peephole. “Trina now might not be a good time, Cat’s sleeping…” Confusion filled Tori’s face as an older woman with dark hair stared back at her, a young man waving happily at her from a distance. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>     The woman stared at the boy with an angry expression, “Pat! I told you to stay in the car!” She shouted, making him look down at the ground sadly. She turned back to Tori with a harsh gaze, “I’m here to see Cat.” She muttered with a hand on her hip, holding her high brand purse. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “I’m sorry, who are you again?” Tori asked, her jaw dropping as she pushed her way into Cat’s apartment, Pat nervously standing in the doorway before inviting himself in. “Who else could I be?” She scoffed, flipping her hair. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>     Tori quickly rushed after her, trying not to let her get too far. “Guys, I swear I didn’t let these random people in! They just forced themselves-“ She jumped as Jade quickly called out, dropping to the floor to hide behind the couch. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “What are you doing here?” Jade asked angrily, rising in front of the lady while pointing a finger at her. Andre watched awkwardly as Pat wandered into the kitchen and began building shapes with the leftover bagels. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “It’s a problem for me to see my daughter now? How ridiculous!” The woman yelled, waving an accusing hand in Jade’s direction. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “Why would you think she would want to see you!” Jade shouted back, not caring that the rest of them were confused with the random pair that barged into the house. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “She’s my daughter! Why wouldn’t she want to see me?” She hollered back, holding her purse tightly to her side in defense. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “Well she doesn’t, so leave!” Jade argued back, pointing to the door. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “What do you know what my Cat wants?! You’re nothing more than a bad influence!” Jade scowled at the lady’s remark as crying echoed through the house, causing her to slam her fist down onto the table. She felt awful for waking Arthur and now most likely Cat.. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “Who are you?” Tori asked loudly from behind the couch, peeking out slightly. Beck facepalmed as she seemed to be the only who didn’t put two and two together. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>     At that moment Cat’s steps were heard from their place in the living room, the whimpering from a baby being heard while Cat attempted to quiet him down with comforting whispers. The room quieted as they listened to Cats murmurs, “Mama’s got you, it’s fine…” She whispered before looking up at the other’s, “Hey, could you guys keep it down, I- Mom?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “Mom!?” “Cat-“  “Caterina!” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “I’m Pat!” Pat called from amongst the name calling causing most of them to stare awkwardly at him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>     While Cat would’ve normally been excited to see her brother, she couldn’t help but have that feeling completely overshadowed by the sight of her mother. She whimpered as her mother stepped closer to her, making her take a few steps back to try and avoid her while holding Arthur tighter to her chest. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>    “Caterina.” Her mother, Cynthia, spoke, staring at Cat. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>    Cat shook her head as she backed away towards the wall, “D-don’t call me that!” She yelped defensively, the rest of them watching them nervously. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “That's no way to speak to your mother, </span>
  <em>
    <span>Caterina.</span>
  </em>
  <span>” Cynthia hissed, glaring at Cat with a hard gaze. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “No, you lost that right the second you left me. You never cared for me, why now?” Cat whimpered, tears brimming her eyes as Andre carefully took Arthur’s from her grip, revealing how much she was trembling. She watched as Andre huddled Arthur to his chest, both her and her son seemingly uncomfortable without each other. She knew it was smart for Andre, she felt like she could hardly hold herself up in front of her mother, nevermind a baby.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “Left you? You were eighteen!” Her mother scoffed, showing off her acrylic nails. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “I had just graduated from highschool! I was still a kid! Don’t act like you didn’t care before that.” Cat argued, trying her best not to falter in front of her mother. “Why are you here?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “Because I love you and you’re my daughter. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Caterina-“ </span>
  </em>
  <span>Cynthia was interrupted by Cat, causing her to be taken aback. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “If you loved me, you’d know how much I hate being called that! Why are you here?” Cat yelled, shaking her head a tear fell from her eye. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>     It took everything in Jade’s power to not knock out Cynthia’s teeth because she wasn’t trying to get arrested so she kept herself occupied with Andre, trying their best to keep Arthur from crying out. Both of them looked at each other nervously as Arthur seemed to be in sync with Cat, becoming more distressed as Cat did. She felt terrible for being so useless, they all did. Yet still, none of them came in with Cat’s defense. All of them standing there uselessly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    Cynthia didn’t flinch, her harsh gaze staring down at Cat disapprovingly. “I came to see if it was true.” She snarled, sending a dirty look to the baby. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>     Cat faltered as she glanced towards her son, his little limbs wiggling uncomfortably in Andre’s arms. “W-what?” </span>
</p><p><span>     “That the ugly boy really did impregnate my daughter and that this wasn’t some stupid publicity stunt.” Her mother spat, staring at Cat as her knees wobbled. Cat opened her mouth to speak but nothing came out before her mother’s banters continued. “Turns out you’re nothing but an </span><em><span>idiotic</span></em> <em><span>slut</span></em><span>. I should’ve known you would’ve gotten </span><em><span>knocked up</span></em><span> by him, he was always a terrible influence, it’s no surprise he got you to be a</span><em><span> whore.</span></em><span> You were never anything more than an </span><em><span>attention seeking tramp.</span></em><span> He was just as stupid as you are.” </span></p><p>
  <span>      The gang looked at Cynthia with wide eyes, all of them stunned by her words. The silence in the room was filled with sounds from Arthur, mimicking the whimpering that came from Cat. Andre and Jade assumed that he was trying his best to sleep but with the noise that was proven impossible. Tori and Beck were both trying to keep Pat from destroying the kitchen after he tried to cook his bagel tower, but even they could hear what she said. To them it seemed like she was trying to say the meanest things she could. Anything to hurt Cat.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     Cat whimpered at each word spoken from her mother’s mouth, wondering how she could say such things. As she glanced at her own son, she realized she could never stoop down to such a level of calling her baby rude words. “Don’t speak about R-Robbie like that.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “Why? Because the fool died? Isn’t it a coincidence that he died as soon as he knocked you up, lord knows he did it to escape having to be trapped with you.” Cat looked her mother in the eye, looking for any sign of remorse for her words but found none. Her whine was caught in her throat as her mother approached her, grabbing her chin and raising it harshly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “Don’t speak about my family like that.” Cat gasped, fighting the tears that swarmed her eyes. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>    Her mother laughed in her face, making it seem like Cat was a comedian. “Family? You’re still a kid- a stupid one at that. Your son is nothing more than a </span>
  <em>
    <span>mistake</span>
  </em>
  <span>.” Cat felt her tears fall from her eyes quickly, now holding back the sob that threatened to leave. She stood there silently, knowing if she were to speak she’d break.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “To think, all that cash and you still live here? There’s a reason your father left. He was ashamed of your </span>
  <em>
    <span>scampy ass</span>
  </em>
  <span>.” Her mother finished off, letting go of Cat’s chin carelessly before leaving through the door without her son. “I’m leaving, you’re nothing more than a </span>
  <em>
    <span>disappointment</span>
  </em>
  <span>.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>     Jade quickly attempted to follow her, rolling up her sleeves quickly before being pulled back by Andre who was pointing to Cat’s crumpling form. Cat slowly slid down the wall, finally breaking once her mother left. Muffled sobs tore through her throat, the sound causing Arthur to wail loudly. </span>
</p><p>
  
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Special Beef</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Pat comforts Cat after the catastrophe with their mother.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This chapter is honestly pretty short, but i’m just trying to give you guys things without y’all having to wait too long!!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>    “What the fuck was that?” Jade hissed, looking towards Pat for any type of answer as two loud cries were heard in the room. </p><p>    The bare remains of Cat’s hard exterior crumbled completely, revealing the broken, hurt girl underneath. It was clear that her Mother’s words cut deep. She trembled hard as tears fell down her cheeks, trying her best to pick herself up from the floor. She held back the loud sobs with broken whimpers, reaching softly for her baby. </p><p>      Andre nervously handed her Arthur, knowing she wouldn’t do anything to hurt him but still worrying for her well-being. “Are you okay?” He questioned quietly, worried when he didn’t get a good answer. She immediately took the crying infant and held him against her chest. </p><p>     “I-I’m just going to g-go to my room… he’s probably h-hungry now.” She quivered, moving back into her room quietly. The energy in the room was tense until the click of Cat’s door was heard. </p><p>     The gang watched as she left, all of them silent with guilt. They all knew they were terrible for allowing her mother to continue saying awful things to Cat without even moving. Especially Tori, she didn’t mean to let her into the apartment. It had just happened out of nowhere yet she was slightly occupied with Cat’s brother. </p><p>      They all awkwardly sat on the couch while looking down, the sound of Cat’s choked sobs from her bedroom being heard from where they sat. Tori swallowed hard, resting her head on the back of couch as a crash was heard from the kitchen. “This is all my fault.” She murmured, shaking her head softly. </p><p>     “Yeah, yeah it is.” Jade hissed, her head resting in her hands. </p><p>     “Hey, Hey, let’s not be like that.” Beck interrupted, placing a hand on Jade's shoulder. “We all watched without doing anything, that puts the blame on all of us.” </p><p>      Andre frowned, hugging himself loosely. “It all happened so fast and Arthur was crying, by the time I even thought of anything she was gone.” </p><p>     Tori bit her lip softly, her brows furrowing as she looked at Andre. “Don’t be guilty, you were the only one of us that really couldn’t do anything. The rest of us were useless.” She murmured, brushing his arm gently. </p><p>     Jade scowled as she glanced at Pat, he was mindlessly going through the fridge before pulling out a stick of butter and eating it like chocolate. “What’s up with your mother anyway, she’s kept to herself before, why can’t she now?” </p><p>     Pat looked at Jade whole shrugging, “Dad left, took all the money… radda radda… you know the deal.” He spoke while chewing, grossing them out by swallowing a chunk of the butter. </p><p>    “W-what?” Tori stumbled, stunned that he had enough self awareness to really know what happened. </p><p>     He shrugged once more before moving to what he assumed to be the bathroom but stepping into Cat’s room. “Kitty?” He questioned, alerting her of his presence. </p><p>     At the sight of her brother she quickly wiped her tears with her free hand, trying her best to hide the fact that she was crying even if it was obvious. “Hey Pat.” She sniffled, curling up in her blanket with Arthur pulled close to her chest. </p><p>      Pat quickly sat down of the edge of the bed, placing his hand down next to Cat revealing many scars from his stupid adventures. “Is that yours?” He asked, pointing to the infant who was nursing quietly. </p><p>      “Yeah.” She murmured, her hand gently petting his fluffy hair. They both watched him quietly, his fists slowly uncurling as he softly fell asleep at the calmer atmosphere. </p><p>      “Mom doesn’t like him.” He stated blankly, his soft brown eyes looking directly at Cat. Something in her stomach dropped at his words making her feel sick, like she swallowed a brick. His words caused the hairs on the back of her to rise, making her want to hold on tightly to her baby and never let go. She stared back at him with a worried gaze, her hand moving to cup her baby tighter. </p><p>     “S-since when does she care about anything a-about me.” Cat whimpered, taking deep breaths of air to try to settle her tears but they came harder. She didn’t want to be selfish, she knew her parents had to care for her older brother, but to the extent to where she felt they completely forgot about her sometimes? Maybe she did deserve to be selfish. Especially when she learned what real love felt like. </p><p>      “Since dad took all the money.” He said nonchalantly, causing Cat’s breath to hitch. She whimpered softly as stared at her older brother, tears freely rolling down her face. </p><p>     “Of course, it’s never really been about me, huh?” Cat had to cover her mouth with her free had to muffle the sad noise that escaped her throat when he nodded quickly, his dark, spiky hair sticking out in every direction. </p><p>     She already knew her mother cared more about money than her, especially when she knew her mother refused to call her anything but Caterina. The name sent chills down her spine when used wrong, and that’s all her mom did. She had spent her whole life hearing Caterina when she did something wrong, it made her feel like a fool. </p><p>     “Kitty, don’t cry.” He comforted, reaching out a scarred hand to wipe her tears. As someone who could hardly process feelings because of one of the many things wrong with him, he knew crying was bad. And so was yelling, his mom only ever did it when she was mad at him. He didn’t like seeing his little sister cry though, it made him feel like he was supposed to feel bad too. </p><p>     “I-I’m sorry,” She whispered, sniffling softly as his rough hand brushed past her soft cheek.   “How long are you out of the hospital?” </p><p>    “Until Mom says so.” Pat shrugged, his hand resting back into his lap. The disappointment in his eyes made her stomach turn, reminding her of her previous morning sickness days. She gently reached out a free hand, taking his hand into hers softly. “I’ll take care of that.” She promised, giving his hand a gentle squeeze. </p><p>     She could see the light in his eyes flicker with joy with her words, she hated to think of how boring it must be for him in the hospital. For such an adventurous soul he was always trapped in the hospital, and she hated it. She had to stay in a hospital for a few days and she couldn't stand it, nevermind months and years at a time. She would just have to help him with his medications. </p><p>     She could see him physically stiffen when Arthur became audible with sounds, his soft gurgling being heard as shifted. While placing a soft rag beneath to catch anything, she placed Arthur on her shoulder and softly burped him. She awkwardly glanced at her brother, feeling his hard gaze boring into her shoulder. </p><p>     “It’s really tiny.” He spoke, jumping back when spit up landed on Cat’s shoulder, the milky liquid landing cleanly on the towel while. He quickly moved to the floor, hiding behind the height of the bed as he watched Cat simply place the stained rag on her bedside table and cuddled Arthur’s, now, sleeping form against her chest. </p><p>     “I know, it’s scary.” Cat whispered, relating to his fear of hurting the innocent creature. She feared that she’d break him if she patted a little too hard while trying to burp him or accidentally being too rough while trying to fit him into clothes. </p><p>     Pat peeked out from beside the bed, staring at Arthur’s sleeping face. “To grow he just needs water, sunlight and… uhhh soil!” He flinched as the infant wriggled at the loud sound of his voice, “I’ll go get the dirt!” He added with a loud whisper before turning around and tiptoeing towards the door. </p><p>     “Wait, Pat!” Cat called quietly, causing him to turn around. He stared at her with wide eyes as she shook her head, “No, he’s different. He needs food and sleep to grow.” She murmured, watching carefully as Pat stepped close enough to touch Arthur.</p><p>      “Ohh… so does that mean he wants to try some of my special beef? I haven’t had a meating in awhile, but because he’s yours and if he insists, I guess I could-“ Pat was interrupted by Cat placing a gentle finger on his lips while giggling, her dimple peeking out from her cheek. </p><p>      “Not yet, Pat. Right now he can only drink-“ “I can blend it if he wants!” Cat shook her head with another giggle, “He can only drink special drinks now like breast milk, but I’m sure sooner or later he’d be happy to try some beef.” </p><p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Unkept Secrets</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Jade and Andre try to help everyone else with Pat by trying to get him his Medication from Cynthia. Cat gets some alone time with Arthur.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Some of the things introduced in this chapter is going to explored deeper in later chapters! So watch out for that!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>     Cat couldn’t lie, the past however long was a complete mess for everyone. She could hardly keep track of time while having to take care of her son and her brother. With Arthur now at the ripe age of 3 months, he was finally becoming more attentive. He didn’t just sleep anymore which meant Cat had to focus on him more carefully. </p><p>     Meanwhile, with her mom basically just leaving Pat on her doorstep, she didn’t have the right medications for him. That became clear when after the first two days of him being home he became more crazy, like when he tried to jump out the window with a plastic bag parachute. It had taken Andre essentially tackling him to stop him, and yes, Cat did cry. </p><p>      “We can’t keep living like this.” Andre muttered to everyone quietly, his face resting in his palms. It was clear everyone was tired. Everyone’s clothes were dirty from trying to keep Pat calm and taking care of Arthur, though Cat’s clothes suffered the most baby vomit. </p><p>      “I’m sorry guys, his doctor refuses to respond to any of my calls, texts, and emails.” Cat murmured, glancing towards the room where Pat slept, his body sprawled on the guest bed. Tori and Beck were both by his side making sure he was actually asleep and keeping him comfortable.</p><p>     Arthur sat in his mother’s lap, looking up at her with wide eyes at the sound of her voice. His hands clapped against each other as he cooed mindlessly when she smiled down at him before staring at the others sadly. Jade rolled her eyes before walking over to Cat and placing a hand on her shoulder, “Don’t be stupid, this isn’t your fault. Me and Andre will figure something out.” </p><p>     Andre’s head shot up towards them, his jaw going slack. “I don’t remember-“ Jade instantly glared at him, causing his mouth to dry. He quickly nodded, sending Cat a thumbs up. </p><p>     “Are you sure?” Cat questioned, looking up at them with wide eyes, her baby following suit. Jade’s brows furrowed at the two pairs of chocolate eyes looking up at her, she gave them a small nod before shaking her keys. </p><p>     “Come on Andre, we’re hitting the road.” He didn’t have time to complain before she growled at him, making him quickly follow her. “We’ll be back soon.” He whispered to Cat, ruffling her hair softly. </p><p>     </p><p>     Andre followed Jade out of the door and into her car, settling into the passenger seat while she started the car. “So, what is your plan because I don’t think you can magically become his doctor.” He spoke while crossing his arms. </p><p>     She glared at him for a moment before the car started moving down the road, taking her attention, “I know where her mom is-“ “What?!” </p><p>      She quickly slapping a hand over his mouth, shutting him up. “There’s no need to be so loud, we’re the only ones here.” She muttered, wiping her hand on her pant leg before going back to the wheel of the car. </p><p>     Andre shook his head while looking at her, his expression confused. “I’m sorry, what? You mean the same one that abandoned both her kids now?” </p><p>     “No, the one that’s currently teaching our good friend Caterina Valentine the wonders of motherhood- Of course that one!” Jade snapped, both of them staring at each other with annoyed looks. </p><p>     “Well then how’d you find out? Because last I checked she didn’t really leave a note.” Andre looked out the window as trees went by, his lips pursed. </p><p>    “Pat is 26, he’s dumb not stupid, he told me.” She spoke, her fingers angrily tapped at the wheel as their destination came closer. </p><p>     “He told you? And you believed him? Just the other day he tried to convince me he was a mermaid and flooded the bathroom.” It was clear Andre was skeptical but he didn’t have much time to complain before Jade pulled into a random Apartment complex, quickly parking and leaving the car causing him to rush after her. </p><p>     “Did he also give you a tinfoil key or something, because I don’t see any cars parked here? No one’s home, but it’s not like she’d just let us in.” Andre muttered, following her to one of the front doors. </p><p>     “Tori has rubbed off on you in the worst ways possible.” She murmured as looked into the windows, finding all the lights were off. Andre wasn’t able to speak before she reached into her hair for a bobby-pin and began using it on the lock as his jaw dropped. </p><p>     “This is illegal!” He yelped, making her elbow him in the hip, “Do you ever shut up? Now be quiet.” She hissed as she managed to get the open, quickly stepping into the dark home. </p><p>      Instead of turning on the light, Jade turned to Andre. “Do you have a flashlight?” She froze after speaking, the memory of her and Robbie sneaking into the school when Cat was living in it hit her at full force. She flinched when Andre spoke, sarcastically searching his pockets. </p><p>    “Yes- of course not! Who just carries a flashlight?” He questioned, looking around the dim room. </p><p>     “Robbie did.” She muttered, reaching for her phone and turning on it’s light. </p><p>     Andre either didn’t hear her or pretended not to, deciding to look around the house instead. The flashlight revealed normal furniture, the room looking like a normal family home. “Are you sure this is it? Because this looks normal.” He whispered, following her as she moved through the rooms. </p><p>     “I don’t know…” They both fell silent as they moved into what they assumed to be a normal bedroom but was meant with a room filled with pictures of Cat and the friend group from either magazines or normal pictures.</p><p>     “Haha, Maybe they’re just a big Cat Valentine fan?” Andre chuckled nervously as Jade shined the light on the wall, her eyes squinted as she read some of the headlines of the magazines. </p><p>      “You think?” She muttered while moving past the wall and into the drawers beside it, finding childhood pictures of Cat and her brother. “Hmm, this must be one really sneaky fan then.” She pulled out one of the photos and handed it to Andre. </p><p>     He quickly placed the photo down, “Okay, so maybe he was right. But if she left Cat why is she basically obsessed with her now, it doesn’t make sense.” He questioned, holding up his own flashlight now. </p><p>      “I don’t know, why don’t we just ask her? Oh wait, that’s right! We’re breaking and entering!” Andre immediately covered her mouth with his hand, “Shut up! These walls are always paper thin!” He shushed. </p><p>      “Whatever.” Jade looked through more of the drawers, finding hard drives with their names on it. She hid her uncomfortableness and secretly pocketed them, curious to see what was on them. </p><p>     Andre didn’t pay attention to Jade, instead pulling her to the bathroom. “If there is going to be medication, it should be in the bathroom.” He whispered, opening one of the cabinets and finding it full of pill bottles.</p><p>    “Oh my god!” Jade yelped, making Andre drop the bottles that were in his hands. “What?” “His full name is Patrick, that’s crazy.”</p><p> </p><p>     Cat frowned as she looked out the window, watching as a storm brewed outside, the rain coming down in a hard pour. She had no idea what Andre and Jade were doing, but she hoped they would come back sooner or later because Beck and Tori currently had their hands full with her brother. </p><p>      She wished she could help more with her brother but they always insisted on her staying back in case he did something he didn’t mean to, like when he accidentally backhanded Tori. She shivered at the memory of the sound, the smack resounded through her home. </p><p>      She jumped as the sound of thunder boomed from the sky, covering her ears until it went away. She quickly turned to Arthur’s no longer sleeping form, his fists curled as he quickly began to cry at the loud noise. </p><p>      She moved towards his crib, reaching to pick him up. She hated to see him so upset over the sound, especially with it being his first time experiencing the loud noise. “Mama’s got you.” She cooed, cradling him softly. “Even if she’s a bit scared too, of everything.” </p><p>      Although he visibly calmed down at the feel and warmth of her touch, he was still shaken from the crackling noise. “Though, I’m not sure if you feel fear yet because your doctor says you just act on instinct, not emotions. I’d prefer you don’t feel it because it sucks.” </p><p>      The two of them looked at each other and Cat could’ve gotten lost in his eyes, the pigment settled into his gaze and they were the spitting image of Robbie’s. The innocence in his eyes made her heart hurt, the thought of her baby growing up and experiencing pain frightened her. </p><p>      “Everytime you go to an appointment your doctor says you reach each milestone you're supposed to meet perfectly. That means you're getting bigger and starting to grow up. I know you can’t stay small forever but I want you to.” She murmured, tears brimming her eyes at the thought of her baby all grown up. She knew she still had many years to go, but time was already going by too quickly. </p><p>      She couldn’t hold back the giggle that escaped her when he reached for her lips, making her press a soft kiss to his fist. “Your doctor tells me that you're becoming more aware of everything. She says you like my voice, is that true?” </p><p>      Although she knew he couldn’t answer her, he assumed that it was true because he was no longer crying and was staring at her intently. “Sorry to break it to you, but you’re not the first.” She giggled, her nose softly nuzzling his hair, “Mama has a whole bunch of people who love her singing voice, and I have no idea why. I haven’t recorded anything in a year, but they still love me. I’m scared of a lot of things, but disappointing them is a big one. Disappointing everyone is one, especially you. But my fans play a big part of my life, our life now.” </p><p>      She smiled as he looked up at her, she wanted to believe that he was just as confused as her even if he really didn’t understand what she was saying. “I know,” She laughed softly, “I’m sorry that you couldn’t have been born into someone more normal, instead I’m just a dumb celebrity that can’t give you the normality you probably crave. But I’ll try, I swear.” </p><p>     Arthur began to coo softly at this, the sound of the thunder seemingly forgotten as he listened to her speak. Her voice was like water in a dry desert, it was like butter on a hot pan. Cat giggled softly at his attempt at speaking, having yet to notice Tori watching her from the doorway. </p><p>      “I love you so much, baby, Mama loves you. No matter what happens.” She kissed his forehead softly, smiling as he softly flailed his arms. “Your papa loves you too, even if he can’t say it. We both love you so much.”</p><p>      Tori’s heart felt full watching their interaction, her smile wide as Arthur made an ‘aaa’ noise towards Cat. She softly leaned on the doorframe, watching them contently before miscalculating her step and falling into the door, making a loud noise as fell. She quickly attempted to cover up the sound with a knock, but having already revealed herself, both Arthur and Cat stared at her. “Hey.” She croaked from the ground. </p><p>       “Hi.” Cat murmured, her cheeks flushed at the idea of Tori seeing her talk to her baby like he could understand her. She had to admit it though, speaking to Arthur made her feel listened to for the first time in forever. If she hadn’t been interrupted she probably would’ve never stopped talking. </p><p>      “Uh, Jade and Andre are back. They wanted me to tell you.” Tori groaned as she picked herself up from the floor, brushing off her clothes softly before limping away flustered. </p><p>       </p><p>     Cat walked into the living room with Arthur and placed him in his bouncer quickly, avoiding eye contact with Tori awkwardly. She laid him down into the bouncer gently, buckling him in so he wouldn’t move out of it as he clumsily reached for her. She allowed him to grab her finger and kissed his curled fist softly before he let go. </p><p>      Reluctantly, she walked over to the table where most of them sat, Beck staying behind to watch Arthur. Her brows furrowed at the bottles, upon bottles of pills that sat on the tabletop. Her presence interrupted their conversation, “I don’t know if I want to be involved in whatever this is.” She murmured, pointing to the filled bottles. </p><p>      Jade shook her head and Andre chuckled, “Relax, they aren’t drugs- er, they aren’t illegal drugs.” He spoke, holding on the bottles and reading the label. </p><p>      Jade placed a hand on Cat’s arm, gaining her attention. “These are most of the medications that your mother had for Pat, and these are some of the prescription lists.” Cat carefully read one of the lists, the big words jumbling together on the sheet. She placed it down before running through some of the bottles, counting 23 bottles. </p><p>      “Are you sure these are all his? This is a little overkill.” She glanced over at her brother's sleeping form on the couch, he seemed to be knocked out. Which was honestly explainable with how much energy he used to try and discover new things. </p><p>      “They’re all only dated from about when he came here, none of them are close to being expired.” Jade confirmed, crossing her arms as she relaxed onto the back of the chair. </p><p>      Cat whimpered softly, picking up one of the nearly full bottles. “This can’t be legal, they’re clearly over drugging him.” </p><p>      “They are,” Andre began, handing her one of the bottles, “Half of these are for symptoms he hasn’t even shown yet they’re still used. Your mother has to have been claiming false problems.” </p><p>      Cat frowned, the sound of rain hitting the windows being heard with the silence that settled into the room. She really couldn’t believe they were all meant for him, it was a shock he wasn’t dead yet. She looked at him sadly, his behavior was explained by him having to cold turkey without all the medications. He had basically been on withdrawal for the past three months while she struggled to contact his doctor. </p><p>      “I don’t want to give him any of these, they can’t be good for him. I’m going to get him a new doctor. One where he can start anew, I don’t trust anything from this.” Cat stated, pushing away the pills quickly, “I don’t care what you do with these, just don’t leave them here.” </p><p>     </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Pigeons</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Cat takes her brother to a new doctor.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>       Cat nervously sat across from her brother as he relaxed on the office bed, his legs kicking the air as the doctor looked through his paperwork. She had to refrain from biting her nails, her anxiety spiked from not being with her baby. </p><p>     While she was sure most new parents would kill for a break from their child, she found herself being completely lost without Arthur. She wasn’t sure if this was just separation anxiety or something to do with her hormones, but whatever it was she just wanted to go home. </p><p>     “I think we’ll have to have him spend some time in the Sanitarium to get a full diagnosis on what’s the problem with him.” The doctor murmured, placing his papers down steadily. </p><p>     Cat frowned, her hand reaching for her brother’s as he looked at the lights, counting the lightbulbs. “What is that exactly?” She questioned, her thumb gently massaging one of the scars on his palm. </p><p>    “It’s basically just some part of the hospital where he can stay for a few days and we can evaluate his mental health and keep and eye on the type of symptoms he may show. He’ll be properly cared for, you won’t have to worry about him.” He explained, his friendly smile faded when Cat didn’t seem pleased. </p><p>      It didn’t take her long to figure out what he was saying, it caused her mouth to dry as she glanced at her brother’s goofy smile. “You want me to send my brother to the mental hospital?” She questioned, clarifying each word. </p><p>     “It’s not exactly a mental hospital. He’ll most likely feel completely comfortable. We’ll just be able to keep an eye on him 24/7 until we discover what’s wrong with him. It'll only be a few days at most, hopefully.” Cat glanced downward, biting her lip softly while she thought over what he was asking for. She wanted to avoid sending her brother away, she knew how it went. Days turned to weeks and weeks turned to months, it was basically unavoidable after awhile.</p><p>       She glanced at her brother who just looked back at her, his brown eyes innocent, it didn’t seem like he had a single thought going through his mind. It made her want to cry for him, she didn’t want the only outcome to become this. “W-when do you want him to go?” She shivered, her gaze falling back to her shoes. </p><p>     “We can get him in as soon as tomorrow, if that works for you.” Cat reluctantly nodded, her hair falling over her shoulders as she inwardly refused to look the doctor in the eye. She felt as bad as her mother sending him off to the hospital, it made her stomach hurt with guilt. The worst part about it all was he didn’t even seem bothered, it was normal for him. </p><p>     The doctor placed a comforting hand on Cat’s shoulder, causing her to look up at him. “It’s the best option for him as of now, it’s the only way we can get a full diagnosis.” </p><p> </p><p>     Cat sat in the driver's seat in Jade’s car, having yet to buy her own after her and Robbie’s car was totaled back in the accident. She trembled in the seat as she rested her arms on the steering wheel, her hand shakily reached for her phone, quickly dialing Jade. </p><p>(italics are them on the other side of the phone)</p><p>      They nearly screamed when they saw it was Cat’s contact calling them, causing them all to panic before Jade shut them up. She shushed them before answering, greeting Cat oddly cheerfully. “Hey Cat!” </p><p>       Cat’s lip quivered as she heard Jade’s voice, her hurt from the appointment slowly revealing itself. “They’re going to send him to the hospital and there’s really nothing we can do.” She whimpered into the phone. </p><p>       Jade placed the phone to her chest and covered the mic, turning to the others. “They’re sending him to the looney bin.” She whispered, causing the rest of them to groan. </p><p>       Andre glanced at Jade with wide eyes, “That’s not good, for Cat.” </p><p>     “We can’t have that, not now!” Tori yelped, her hands pulling at her own hair as she curled into the couch. </p><p>    “Well I-I can’t do anything about it!” Jade stuttered before pulling the phone back to her ear, “I’m sorry, babygirl, but it’s what’s best for him.” She murmured, pointing at the others to keep them quiet. </p><p>     “I feel like such a dirtbag, Jadey. I told him I wouldn’t let them put him in the hospital but now there’s nothing I can do.” Cat cried, watching out the window as Pat attempted to catch a pigeon in the parking lot. He had said he needed to go to the bathroom but was clearly distracted. “I’m no better than my mother.” </p><p>      “Cat, don’t say that. You’re already better than her for actually caring.” Jade spoke, the rest of them impatiently waiting to know what she said. </p><p>      Cat shook her head softly, secretly disagreeing with them. She watched his carefree attitude and hated herself more for basically locking him up in a prison. She watched him sadly for a moment, a shaky smile coming to her lips as he looked at her. </p><p>     “Uh, how’s Arthur? I know I’ve only been gone a few hours but do you think I could maybe speak to him? I miss him.” Cat asked, her fingers nervously playing with the hem of her sundress. </p><p>      She knew Jade always called her weird for speaking to her baby, most likely because he didn’t have a concept of the english language. But Cat could see that it helped both of them, it also made their bond better. She could just feel it in her bones.</p><p>      Jade nearly dropped the phone when she requested to speak to Arthur, knowing that he’d respond to her voice even a little. She placed the phone to chest again, making sure to cover the mic. “She wants to speak to Arthur.” Jade choked out, causing the rest of them to panic. </p><p>      “What do we do?” Tori asked, looking up at the others with a scared expression. </p><p>     “If I knew, don’t you think I would’ve done it!” Jade snapped, glaring at Tori. </p><p>     Andre quickly placed a hand on Jade’s shoulder, “I can do a pretty good baby impression.” He offered reluctantly, making Jade push him away. </p><p>     “That’s so stupid.” She stated, looking to Beck for any good answer. </p><p>      “Just tell her that he’s asleep so she doesn’t worry, we can explain everything later.” He explained, seeming to be the only sane one out of all of them. </p><p>     Cat sat on the other end of the phone, unable to make out the muffled conversation that was on the other side. Something about it made her heart sink, making her become worried. </p><p>    “He’s actually asleep, which is a shock because you’re like the only thing that can put him asleep. He must just really like Andre, if you know what I mean. But I’ll make sure to tell him you wanted to see him. Even if he can’t speak, because he’s a baby.” Jade rambled, the rest of them quickly yelling at her. </p><p>     “Why would you make it so suspicious!” Tori shouted with a whisper. </p><p>     “I panicked!” Jade argued, covering the mic quickly before placing it back to her ear. </p><p>      “Oh.” Cat whimpered, disappointment clearly heard in her voice. Jade’s words made her become worried, knowing darn well that Arthur hated being with Andre. She decided against speaking about it after glancing out the window, clearly the pigeon had friends. “Well tell him I love him, a lot. To the moon and back.”</p><p>      “Ok.” </p><p>       “Well, I gotta go. Pat’s getting attacked by some birds, bye.” </p><p>       “Bye!”</p><p>        Cat sighed as the click of the phone was heard, her forehead resting on the wheel of the car. She glanced at her brother as he ran into the car, covered with scratches from the birds. “Hey!” He greeted, frowning when he saw Cat struggle to smile back. “Don’t be sad Kitty, I really don’t mind going back.” </p><p>     She shook her head as she squeezed her shut, avoiding the tears that threatened to fall. She hated the fact that it was normal for him, he should see it as more of a problem than he does. He had spent most of his life already in the hospital, she hated to think he had to spend more time. “But I promised and I’ll miss you.” </p><p>     “Well, then I’ll miss you too.”</p><p>      The drive home consisted of lots of small talk and Pat yelling out at every tree he spotted, which was a lot. By the time they reached Cat’s home he was excited to go through the fridge and Cat was eager to see her baby, knowing that all he had at home was pre-pumped milk and was always fussy when drinking from a bottle. </p><p>     She rushed to get the key in the lock, the sound of the jingle being heard through the silent room. From the other side everyone stilled at the sound of her keys, freezing in their spots. She could’ve sworn she heard a muffled ‘Act normal’ being shouted. </p><p>     Cat opened the door, quickly being greeted by the awkward smiles of her friends. “Hey.” Tori stated from the couch, her hair messy from previously jumping right next to Andre. </p><p>     “Hey..” Cat responded, looking at the disheveled appearance of her friends. She quickly assumed that maybe leaving him alone with them was a disaster, that maybe he acted out without her there. “I’m sorry, was Arthur acting bad? Is that why you’re all stressed out?” </p><p>       They each looked at each other for a moment, each of them with scared and worried looks. “Yes!” “No.” They shouted at the same time, causing Cat to become confused. </p><p>      “Yeah! He just had to get all his energy out but now he’s just asleep! I wouldn’t recommend checking on him, he’s probably really tired.” Tori yelped, having to hold back from biting her nails. </p><p>     Beck and Andre nodded along with smiles too wide for Cat to not be suspicious, her heart dropping when Jade frowned. “I don’t want to be the good guy here, but we can’t do this. It’s wrong, we can’t lie.” Jade spoke, moving behind Andre and patting his shoulders, “So, Andre’s going to tell you the truth.” </p><p>     Cat glanced back at Pat, feeling her knees wobble when he shrugged. “What’s wrong with Arthur?” </p><p>     Andre paled as the rest of them looked at him for an answer, his lip nearly bleeding from how hard he bit it. He stared at Cat’s worried face, his mouth becoming dry and Jade urged him on. “Lil’ Red, he’s g-gone.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>This chapter felt a bit rushed with the storyline to me, but honestly I don’t with this to drag onto becoming too many chapters. So if that bothers you, just let me know and I’ll make sure to slow it down!!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Blankets</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Beck, Andre, Jade, and Tori tell Cat what happened with Arthur. Pat leaves to the hospital despite what’s happened, leaving behind his heart broken sister.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  
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  <em>
    <span>Cat instantly became overwhelmed with the news, it took no longer than a second for her to collapse. Her brother, being smart for once, quickly caught her fainted form. Looking at the others as they quickly slapped Andre on the arm, “Why would you make it sound like he died?!” Jade shouted. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>     “I panicked!” He defended, mocking Jade’s earlier statement.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>     Cat eyes shot open as she quickly took in her surroundings, her head resting on Jade’s lap as Jade’s fingers brushed through her hair. She quickly lifted herself up into a sitting position, frantically looking through the room, tears filling her eyes. She nearly sobbed when she saw his bouncer was empty, Jade had to grab her attention by grabbing her wrists and forcing her to look at her. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “Cat, he’s not dead, he’s just not here.” Jade clarified, softly letting go of Cat’s hands. Cat quickly brought her knees to her chin, her lip wobbled as she felt hot tears brim her eyes. “Then w-where is he?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>     Jade glanced at Beck, looking for the correct words to say. He motioned for her to continue, making her look back at Cat. “Cat, when I tell you this don’t freak out.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “How do you expect m-me not to freak out? I left h-him with you guys for three hours and now my baby is m-missing! I knew it was a bad idea to leave him, he’s probably crying-” Cat rambled, only shutting up when Jade placed her hands on her cheeks, pressing her lips together. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “Cat, he’s not missing. Your mom came and took him from us.” Jade stated as Cat tore her hands away from her, staring at all of them with wide eyes. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “You let him go with my mother?!” She cried, backing away towards the wall before sliding down it softly. She quickly began to cry hysterically, her hands gripping her face as she thought of all the possibilities that could happen. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>     This time it was Beck who moved in front of Cat, his large hand resting on her chin to make her look at him. “Cat, she had all this legal paperwork and two police officers. She shoved it in our faces, we all would’ve been arrested if we didn’t. I-I don’t know how, but she has custody.” </span>
</p><p>
  
  <em>
    <span>Andre stared at Beck with a frown, handing off a screaming Arthur to him quickly. It seemed every time Andre even tried to touch him, he hated it. He couldn’t even hold Arthur for longer than a minute before he started to sob, his lungs letting out screams that were louder than normal. </span>
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</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>     “Dude, why do you even try anymore? He just doesn’t like you.” Beck asked as he gently received the infant, cradling him softly against his chest to calm him down. </span>
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    <span>     Andre handed him Arthur’s special blanket with a shrug, “Maybe he was in a bad mood last time, he has no reason to not like me.” </span>
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    <span>    Beck shook his head, “And for the other one hundred times? or were those just coincidences?” He gently wrapped Arthur in the blanket that had an aroma of baby and Cat’s distinct sweet scent. Something he assumed the baby liked because of his mother’s smell. </span>
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    <span>     Arthur’s wails dimmed down into quiet cries, his hands gripping the blanket in bunches while he relaxed into Beck’s chest. “Hey, it’s not my fault I’m also having to babysit here.” Andre defended, following Beck out of the nursery and into the living room. They were surprised to see both Jade and Tori at the door, both of them bothered by who was on the other side. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>    Tori had to stand in front of Jade to prevent her from jumping the cop, Jade’s lip curled in disgust at Cynthia who stood behind her own shield, two police officers. “We’re not giving you the baby, he’s not some kind of property, he’s Cat’s son.” Tori argued, shaking her head as Cynthia pointed to the signatures on the paperwork. </span>
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</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>      “Not any longer, here it clearly states that the custody of my poor grandson was granted to me, Cynthia Valentine, his grandmother.” Cynthia bantered, nearly pushing the papers in their face. </span>
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</p><p>
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    <span>      Jade reached a hand out and pushed the papers away, “That’s impossible, that means we would’ve had to have gone to court by now. Which, might I say, we haven’t.” She turned to the officers, looking for assurance. “She can’t take custody without a custody battle, right? This is illegal, it has to be!” </span>
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</p><p>
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    <span>     The officer didn’t flinch, shaking his head. “The paperwork is official, it has all the correct signatures. If you don’t hand over the child you will all be arrested for kidnapping a minor.” </span>
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</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>     Jade’s jaw went slack, looking back at Beck who looked at her with just as much shock. His arms quickly tightened on the baby, the baby whimpering at the energy of the room. </span>
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</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>     “You c-can’t do that!” Andre argued from in front of Beck, defending the baby. “There’s no reason for this, Cat’s a wonderful mother.” </span>
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  <em>
    <span>      Cynthia moved into the room, rolling her eyes as she looked around. “How dare you defend Cat, she’s nothing more than a terrible mother. Look, she’s not even here to defend herself. She just left you fools to watch my poor grandson while she probably goes out there and ruins her career. Everyone knows the girl has been a mess since my lovely son in law died.” </span>
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</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>      “How dare you call her a bad mother, she has been nothing but amazing these past months.” Jade growled, Tori having to hold her back from hurting Cat’s mother. “Not to mention she’s out taking care of your son, who you abandoned.” </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>    “You’re telling me she’s not possibly out ‘having a good time’? Because that would explain why the painkillers are missing from my bathroom cabinets.” She hissed towards Jade. Jade froze at her words, causing her to laugh. “Just hand me the baby, it’ll be better off with me anyway.” </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>     “He’s not an ‘it’! He’s a human being!” Tori shouted, offended when Cynthia brushed her off. “Don’t act like an angel now! You literally called him a mistake two months ago! You said Robbie was an idiot and called Cat a slut! Why are you acting like this? You’re only destroying your family.”</span>
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    <span>     Cynthia only glared at Tori, her eyes turing dark. “You guys can either peacefully hand over my grandson and not get arrested or get arrested and I still get my grandson, what do you want?” </span>
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    <span>      Beck turned to the others, gathering them in a circle to speak quickly. Tori was clearly worried, tears brimming her eyes as she looked at Arthur. Andre bit his lip softly, his eyes focused on the ground. “Guys, we don’t have any other choice.” He choked out, his hands gripping Tori’s tightly. </span>
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    <span>      Jade shook her head, refusing to look back at Cynthia. “We can’t, what about Cat?” </span>
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  <em>
    <span>     “I’m sorry, but we’re going to get arrested if we don’t, then she’ll be all alone.” Tori whined, “Plus, I really don’t want that on my record.” </span>
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</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>      “We can take her to court, can’t we? Then none of us get arrested and we can get the baby back.” Beck spoke, frowning when Arthur innocently clutched the blanket, bringing it up to his chin. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>      “F-fine.” Jade agreed, her brows furrowed softly as she glanced at Cynthia. Cynthia watched them with a hand on her hip, rolling her eyes at each word. </span>
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</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>     “Are you guys finally going to give me my grandson?” She asked impatiently, looking at Jade with disgust. </span>
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</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>     “What is your motive? Why are you doing this? You know Cat’s a great mother, so why? She’ll never forgive you.” Jade asked, surprised when Cynthia faltered for a moment.</span>
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</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>     Cynthia quickly recovered, glaring at Jade. “I know you have the hard drives, worry about your own relationships before worrying about mine.” She hissed quiet enough for only Jade to hear, causing Jade’s face to fall. Cynthia quickly turned to Beck with a smile, clapping her hands together happily. “I’d like my grandson now!” </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>    Beck glanced at the gang, all them refusing to look back as they stared down. He then looked at the officers to see them tapping their feet impatiently, nodding their heads in agreement with Cat’s mother. Reluctantly, he carefully handed over Arthur, his expression sad. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>      Cynthia smiled wide when she finally got her hands on the child, letting go of the blanket that he held on, allowing it to fall to the floor forgotten. Beck winced at this, frowning when Arthur wiggled uncomfortably in her arms. “Finally.” She murmured with an eerie smile. </span>
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</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>     Beck moved to pick up the blanket and hand it to her, hurt when she avoided it. “He won’t need that ugly blanket, I have everything he needs already.” She said giddily, ignoring their pained expressions as she left the house, the police following behind. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>      Cat burst into sobs once she heard she no longer had custody of her son, the pain in her voice making the rest of their hearts hurt. “H-how is that possible? She didn’t even t-talk to me at all! T-there was no contact either!” She cried, her hands clutched her chest as she struggled to breathe. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “Cat, take a deep breath.” Beck murmured, softly rubbing Cat’s shoulder. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>       Cat shook her head, her hands covering her face. “I-I can’t!” She sobbed, shaking her head furiously. “This can’t be real! It can’t!” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “Cat, we’ll get him back, you don’t need to worry.” He added, however Cat didn’t listen to him. Instead, she noticed Arthur’s blanket on the floor, her eyes widened as she stumbled to her feet, gently pushing past Beck and to the blanket. She quickly grasped the soft fabric with shaky fingers, looking at the others with tears dripping down her face. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “He d-doesn’t have his b-blanket.” She whimpered, bringing the small blanket to her chest. “H-how’s he supposed to sleep c-comfortably? H-he doesn’t sleep well without it.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>     Pat felt his mouth run dry when he saw his sister's broken expression, his chest hurt seeing her so sad. “Kitty, don’t cry.” He spoke, slightly taken aback when Cat quickly threw herself into his arms. He wrapped his arms around her awkwardly as she cried into the blanket, “I’m sorry Mom’s mean to you.” He whispered, patting her back softly like she would when they were younger and he got upset. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>     Cat shivered as her tears fell onto the blanket, her head resting on her brother’s chest. “H-he hasn’t even tried formula before. W-what if he doesn’t like it? I’m not there to h-help him.” She whimpered, hugging the blanket in while in her brother’s arms. “She doesn’t know he likes to be t-talked to when going to sleep, or that he struggles with b-bottles. How’s she supposed to know h-he hates rocked because he d-doesn’t being moved?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      Andre grimaced at Cat’s words, looking down at his shoes as Cat’s soft cries continued to be heard. He just couldn’t believe Cynthia had the audacity to say Cat didn’t care about Arthur when currently it was all she was doing. She worried about the smaller things, things that weren’t very crucial but made Arthur comfortable. It was clear how much she really loved that baby. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>      Cat spent the night curled into Arthur’s blanket while in her comfort clothes, no other than one of Robbie’s shirts. She stayed awake with tears in her eyes as she watched her baby’s empty crib, hoping that anytime she blinked he’d be there when she opened her eyes. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>      She felt awful as a parent, like she failed both Arthur and Robbie. She could see Robbie’s disappointed face when she slept, making her jolt awake quickly. She couldn’t manage to get more than ten minutes of sleep before being scared awake from her returning nightmare. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>       Everytime time she saw the pain in Robbie’s eyes she wanted to sob. The only thing keeping her from actually doing so was her brother’s sleeping form. He slept on the floor of her bedroom, giving her the privacy of her own bed while also providing his comforting presence. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>      Her lip trembled as she looked at her brother, knowing he’d have to leave after the sun rose. The idea of calling the hospital to cancel crossed her mind more than she’d like to admit. She always decided against it, knowing it would be better for Pat in the end. She didn’t want to be selfish.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      The gang had all fallen asleep while trying to contact the courthouse and a good child custody lawyer. They tried to figure out what possibly could have led to Cynthia gaining custody without any type of battle or notices. Most of their searching led to dead ends, finding out that it really didn’t seem possible. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>     By the time morning arrived the dark atmosphere of the house didn’t leave, sadness consumed all of them when they saw the empty nursery or the empty look in Cat’s eyes. She refused to leave her spot on her bed, watching as Pat prepared to leave for the hospital yet still unable to get up. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>     She couldn’t stop the tears that flowed when he came to say goodbye after Andre agreed to take him. “I’m sorry.” She cried quietly in his shoulder as he reached down for a hug. She winced when the hug was too tight, the pressure from the build up of milk making her bosom sore. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “Why?” He questioned, patting her back softly as she gripped his shirt. He normally didn’t enjoy hugs, but he knew Cat loved them and he really didn’t like seeing her so sad. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>    Cat wiped her eyes once they pulled away, sniffling while he sat down on the bed in front of her. “Because I’m a mess and your last day at home was spent terribly and now I won’t get to see you as much.” She whimpered, her gaze falling down to her hands that fiddled in her lap. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “Kitty, I know what happened was bad. Don’t worry about Pat.” He murmured, giving her another smile. Being nice, Cat gave him a weak smile in return, it fell quickly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “I’ll try.” </span>
</p><p>
  
</p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Yeah, I’m pretty positive this can’t legally happen in real life but then again it’s just a fanfiction. I wouldn’t pay too much attention to the realism in this story!!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Falling Apart</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>A little snippet from everyone lives</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Sorry this one took so long, I’ve been feeling really tired from school and all that stuff. Hopefully I’ll start writing like I did before but I wouldn’t get your hopes up just yet.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>      Cynthia growled as Arthur began to cry again, her hands quickly moving to cover her ears at his strong sobs. She had hardly had him at her home for three days and she already wanted to get rid of him. All he seemed to do was cry and complain and fuss, he couldn’t just sleep like a baby his age normally did. She was shocked he had so much energy considering he didn’t even like drinking the formula she provided for him. </p><p>     She groaned, waiting for him to cry it out like she normally did with her own children. She didn’t believe in coddling, it only made them weaker to the real world. She growled as she moved to his room, her eyes straining in the darkness. She attempted to put him to sleep an hour ago, having spent it all trying to fall asleep herself. </p><p>     She moved to his small crib, watching as her grandson sobbed. For a second she felt remorse, guilt filling her senses when she stared down at the baby. She could see her daughter’s resemblance in the poor baby, the look of pain in Caterina’s face the last time she saw her making her feel sick. She was terrible, wasn’t she? She said awful words to try and get her way, knowing what she’d say cut deep. She was more childish than the baby across from her. </p><p>      At the sight of the woman Arthur began to cry harder, his body flailing as he sobbed. His disdain for the woman was stronger than the one he held for Andre, the mere sight of her making him cry. It was clear the poor boy only wanted his mother, the environment of a new home too much for him. He yearned for the comfort of his mother’s milk and touch, her sweet smell. But with no words or way of expressing himself other than his cries, his argument was useless.</p><p>     Cynthia’s nasty attitude came back when the baby began kicking, her annoyance for the child making her guilt fade away. “Why can’t you just shut up?” She hissed, her expression hateful as she looked down. She couldn’t help but wonder if the money was worth it as his screams got stronger. </p><p>  </p><p>     Cat’s free hand wiped at her eyes as she held the phone to her ear. She sat alone at her dining room table in the dark, her friends having left hours before. She still struggled to sleep through the night, whether it was her fear for Arthur or her sore body that was keeping her up. </p><p>      Tori knew and told her that if she simply pumped the milk she’d be able to sleep more comfortably, knowing when she cried through the night that was one of the factors. But knowing that her body produced it for her baby and that it’d most likely go bad made her cry harder. Ultimately, she had to. Otherwise it’d leak through her shirt, making her even more upset. </p><p>      Part of her was angry at the world for not warning people of the real after maths of pregnancy. The empty feel of her stomach, the troubles of breastfeeding, and the fact that her back still hurt months after being pregnant. She couldn’t lie though, she’d go through a million times worse if it meant she’d get Arthur back. </p><p>     “I’m sorry, I can’t. I can’t go back to music right now.” She whimpered into the phone, shaking her head at who was on the other line. </p><p>  <em>   “Caterina, it’s been over a year since you’ve released anything to the public. Don’t you think your fans deserve a little something?” Steven questioned, tapping his fingers against his desk impatiently waiting for her to say yes. </em></p><p>      “I don’t know how you expect me to sing? M-my baby is without me when he needs me most, I can’t do anything until he’s back home.” She added, resting her head on her arm. She glanced at his empty bouncer, the sight causing her heart to squeeze. </p><p>    <em>  “Cat, don’t you think it’s a good thing that he’s gone? There’s nothing to distract you anymore. You’re still young! You still have time to chase the stardom of fame!” Steven cheered on the other side, offending Cat heavily. </em></p><p>      “How is this a good thing? You think I’m happy that my baby is gone? You think I want the fame that’s accused me against cheating and killing Robbie over my own son? You know how easy it is to find articles that are convinced my baby isn’t his? You know how much that hurts me?” She cried into the phone, hating herself for becoming vulnerable towards him. “I didn’t even announce his birth, it was leaked through the media. They’re going to ridicule me the second they find out I lost custody. And t-they’re going to ridicule h-him and it scares me. I haven’t gotten an ounce of privacy since I released that first single.” </p><p>
  <em>      Steven grunted, shaking his head angrily. “Cat, you’re under a contract. You know that. Why is it so hard for you to just record some music?” </em>
</p><p>     “Steven, I’ll record music when I’m ready. Why can’t you just respect that? Do you know how much my body hurts? It’s not easy for me to bounce back after everything, I’m not as strong as everyone thinks I am.” Her gaze shifted towards a photo she had hung across the room, her and her friends smiling faces shining back at her. She couldn’t believe how vulnerable she became, she just wanted everything to be as simple as it was when she was in highschool. When she had Robbie. </p><p>  <em>   “Do you have any idea how much money you’ve lost over this past year?” </em></p><p>      Cat hated thinking about money, she couldn’t lie. She was set for the rest of her life. The money from all the shows she performed and the album she released was more than enough for her. Even worse, she gained Robbie’s money after his death. His own comedic tour was enough money in itself, she felt awful for having so much. </p><p>       Not to mention him asking about money only made his real intentions clearer. He only ever cared about money. Not her well-being. Not Arthur’s. She spilled everything into the phone only for him to ignore her as she cried out. “Steven, it’s late. Good night.”</p><p> </p><p>       Jade stared at her computer screen with tear filled eyes, the video shown in front of her breaking her heart. She couldn’t believe that the video in front of her was real, not when he was the one who was questioning her loyalty. </p><p>      Jade thought back to when Cynthia told her to watch her own relationship and gripped the hard drive tighter. Part of her was scared with what she would find on the one with her name. After going through the others she found out each one just held information on the person named on the top. It honestly frightened her that Cat’s mom was so crazy yet had Arthur. </p><p>    She gained her resolve after wiping the sweat from her palms onto her jeans. She was Jade, she didn’t have a reason to be scared. There was no reason her files wouldn’t be like the others. Only if that had been true. </p><p>      She was confused when she plugged it in and was met with a video file. It had a random date that she couldn’t remember off the top of her head. She hesitantly hit play, furrowing her brows when the video took place in the hallway of a hospital. </p><p>   <em>   ‘The audio for the file didn’t exist, creating an eerie silence. Tori ran into the empty hallway, quickly sliding down the wall while tucking her face into her knees. The video clip sped up and returned to normal speed when Beck showed up next to her. He sat down next to her, his mouth moving like he was comforting her. Not long after, Beck reached in to kiss Tori softly. The kiss lasted a second before Tori pulled away, quickly shaking her head before sliding away from him. The video clip ended with the two of them in deep conversation.’</em></p><p>
  <em>      Jade recognized their outfits from the day Cat almost had a miscarriage, specifically after Tori had said awful things to Cat. Her eyes widened as the clip ended, proving to be the only item on that drive. She felt like a fool for being so hurt by the video, but she felt like more of a fool for believing Beck when he said he loved her. </em>
</p><p>      Jade sat straight when she heard the door open, closing her laptop to hide the video as she quickly stuffed the hard drive in her pocket. She messily wiped her eyes, getting rid of the tears to hopefully stop Beck from noticing. She rose as the sound of his keys, walking through the house until she found him. </p><p>     Beck smiled when he noticed her, “I got you a coffee,” He said while reaching in for a kiss, “I know it's a little random, but I was going past the shop and thought of you.” His words became confused when she avoided the kiss, something she never did when they weren’t in public. </p><p>     Jade didn’t move to grab the cup, allowing him to place it on the counter. She crossed her arms while staring at him, her resolve settling in as he became concerned. “Babe, is something wrong?” He asked, concern filling his features. </p><p>      “If you’re completely honest with me right now, I won’t end this relationship right here. But if you aren’t, you’re out that door.” She hissed, her nails creating crescent moons on her palms from how hard her hands were balled into fists. She stood straight while looking at him, wanting to puke when he just looked confused. </p><p>      “What are you talking about? Would you have preferred iced coffee or something?” He asked, trying to lift the mood by chuckling only to become silent when she didn’t find it funny. </p><p>      Jade bit her lip softly, her gut twisting painfully as she pondered the possibilities of what could happen from here. “Did… did you kiss Tori?” She watched as his face fell, his eyes becoming focused on the ground as he quickly shook his head. </p><p>      “What? No! Why would I kiss Tori?” He spoke, placing the coffee on the table. A headache forming when he suddenly remembered the fateful day at the hospital. His throat ached to say he lied, to admit to kissing her but he couldn’t force himself to move. He stood still as she growled, her eyes watering as she looked ashamed. “Why would you lie to me?” </p><p>      “W-What are you talking about?” He questioned, already regretting trying to keep up with the lie. He didn’t know why he did, it was one of his main defense mechanisms. It was meant to protect him but it only ever ended up hurting him and the people around him. He wiped his hands on his pants, avoiding her harsh gaze. </p><p>      Jade trembled as she shoved the hard drive in front of him, the feel of her fingers slipping past his was probably the last they’d feel of each other. “Why Beck? Why can’t I trust you?” She yelled, wiping her tears to bring back her cold demeanor. She didn’t want to show him her real self anymore, he didn’t deserve that part of her. </p><p>      “I-“ Beck looked down at the small piece of metal, the coldness touching his hand sending a chill down his spine. He was confused with the small piece of evidence, unknowing of what was on the ring electronic. “Back when Cat almost had her miscarriage, really? We were all hurting and you used all of us? You made me feel terrible, I thought our problems were all my fault, babe- B-Beck.” Her hands ran through her hair as she quickly corrected herself from using his pet name. She gasped sharply, trying her best to keep her breath steady. “How could you make me feel awful for trying to help Cat. You, you hated me for avoiding you because I loved you and you pulled some crap like this? Tori?  How do I know you didn’t try messing with Cat either, huh?” </p><p>       “Baby-“ “You know what, stay away from her. Stay away from me. God knows that’s the only way you’ll ever be useful.” Jade hissed, shakily resting on the seat at their table. She closed her eyes to avoid seeing Beck try to defend himself, she flinched when he grabbed her shoulders softly. She slapped his hands away accusingly, turning away from him. </p><p>     Beck’s hands fell to his sides, his eyes falling to the ground. “Don’t worry about Cat, I’m not going to do anything. Don’t even worry about Tori, I won’t..” His hands slipped into his pockets when he noticed she wasn’t listening, instead, she pointed to their bedroom. </p><p>      “Be happy I’m letting you pack your own shit. Find somewhere else to sleep because you sure as hell aren’t staying here.” She growled, watching him as he moved to their bedroom. His head was down like a punished puppy, her heart almost feeling bad for being so mean. She hugged herself loosely, she couldn’t start feeling guilty. This had been the second time he had his chance, instead he tried to frame her to be the crazy one like she always did. He gaslighted her insecurities when he was in the wrong, it was like when he’d yell at her for being jealous then refuse to defend himself from the groping ladies in highschool. She was always the bad guy to him. </p><p>       Her eyes were icy as she watched him leave with his bags. He looked back as he stepped out of their house and moved into his car. His eyes begged for mercy, asking for another chance without even speaking. “Stop pulling this shit and maybe you’ll have a chance.” As he drove away he was unable to see her crumbling form, sobbing from the pain in her heart. </p><p> </p><p>      Andre grimaced as he looked at his phone, the text Jade sent him causing his phone to feel like a brick. Beck and Tori played us. He placed his phone down on his desk, turning around before calling for his girlfriend. “Tori, bae?” He called, gulping as he heard her steps. She quickly peeped into his office. “What’s up?” </p><p>      He tried to smile softly at the sight of her in her apron, her hands covered in flour. She chuckled softly before wiping them on the pink cover, “Sorry, dinner’s a bit messy.” She moved next to him, placing a hand on his cheek. She didn’t like seeing his sad eyes, the sight concerning her deeply. “What is it? Did something happen?” </p><p>     Andre covered her hand with his, her warm touch soothing him slightly. He really couldn’t believe the text, Tori had tried so hard to prove herself to him. She made dinner and made sure to talk to him, keeping their relationship open for critique. “Did you… do anything at the hospital? The day Cat almost lost Arthur.” </p><p>     Tori’s eyes looked through the room as she tried to remember, frowning quickly once she remembered. She swallowed hard as she looked at him, choosing to be honest. “I’m sorry,” Her heart ached when he frowned, putting the pieces together. “Beck and I kissed. I swear it didn’t mean anything. I ended it before it got any further than just a simple kiss.” </p><p>      Andre was ready to ask more questions when they heard a knock on the door. He used his free hand to wipe the tear that formed on her face, his hand becoming coated in flour,  before moving to open the door. He stared at the person across from him angrily, looking back at Tori before stepping out,  closing the door behind him. </p><p>     Andre quickly shoved Beck, angry when he didn’t try to fight back. He couldn’t feel any remorse for the man in front of him, cheating on one of his best friends with his own for, it was physically impossible. “What the fuck man!” He shouted, the hurt evident in his voice. </p><p>     Beck tripped backwards, hardly saving himself by gripping Andre’s arm. Andre quickly shoved his hand off him, betrayed by his friend. “Don’t be mad at Tori, she was the one who stopped me, I swear. She was the sensible one, she didn’t even want it! This is all my fault, I promise I’ll fix it, I just need somewhere to stay.” </p><p>      “How dare you come to my house begging for help? You broke the main Bro-code! How is it the only one I can trust now is a dead man? I don’t know what you want from me.” Andre shouted, turning away to enter his house again. </p><p>     “I want you to forgive me.” Beck grabbed his arm, forcing Andre to look at him once more. “Please, there’s nowhere for me to go. I swear you won’t even notice I’m here.” </p><p>     Andre scowled as he looked at his friend, Beck looked back at him with a hurt expression. “I-I made a mistake.”  He begged for mercy, his eyes red from holding in his tears. He couldn’t believe how quickly their lives seemed to crumble again, all because of a bunch of mistakes. Andre became hesitant, his hand shaking as he gripped the doorknob. “G-goddammit.” He quickly gave up, opening the door wide enough for Beck. </p><p>      Beck quickly thanked him, falling to knees to bow to him. He felt humiliated for being in such a position. The highschool dream-boy Beck begging for somewhere to stay? Begging for forgiveness? Making stupid mistakes? He was a mess. </p><p>     </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>also sorry if this chapter is kinda crappy, i was really tired writing it</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. Ms. Valentine</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Cat and Jade hand over court papers to Cynthia.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>look out for grammar mistakes, i’m really tired rn but i tried to skim through it.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>    The past month had been a mess for the entire gang. Jade hardly slept to avoid sleeping alone in her bed, instead staying 24/7 at Cat’s house to comfort Cat and work on getting a lawyer. Cat was a crying, lonely, sleep deprived mess without her son. She was forced to make endless phone calls to try and reach anyone that could help her get her son back. Andre and Tori had to walk around eggshells in their own home because of Beck, often leaving to Cat’s house to check up on her and to avoid Beck. Surprisingly, Jade didn’t blame Tori. Instead she just ignored what happened around the girl. Meanwhile Beck spent his entire days in bed, falling in and out of sleep with his broken heart.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>    “Why didn’t you tell me you knew where she lived? I could’ve tried to see Arthur sooner.” Cat mumbled, nervously hugging herself as she and Jade walked up to Cynthia’s front door. She was afraid of facing her mother again, not knowing what her reaction would be to see her daughter again. Cat couldn’t help but believe that her mother hated her, all her mean, nasty words affecting her deeply. It’s not easy when your own mother, someone who’s meant to love you, calls you things like a whore.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “I didn’t think it’d help.” Jade’s expression was cold, the bags under her eyes heavy. Cat would’ve argued but she could see how tired Jade was, the breakup obviously hitting hard. Cat tried to get Jade to talk but she always insisted she was fine, instead she helped Cat focus on her problems. They even managed to get a lawyer and settle a court date, helping Cat get closer to getting Arthur back. It was too bad it was nearly a month away.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>       “Just trust me, you really don’t want to see how crazy your mom is.” Jade sighed, shushing Cat as she knocked softly on the door. Cat whimpered when they could hear crying from outside the walls, making her nervously pick at her lips as she fought reaching out. Even through her tired eyes, Jade sent Cat a look of comfort, rubbing her shoulder for a moment before the door opened. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>      Cynthia stared at the two of them with annoyance before quickly closing the door, she groaned when Jade’s boot stopped the door from closing completely. She pulled the door open, slamming towards the wall. “What do you want?” The open door caused his cries to become less muffled, the sound sending Cat’s nerves on edge. Not even Jade could handle the sound, finding it to make even her heart beat a little faster. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “We want Cat’s son back from whatever this hell-hole is.” Jade snarled, taking control of the situation from Cat, her words causing Cynthia to gasp offendedly. She quickly pushed the others out further to step out onto the porch with them, closing the door behind her to muffle the cries. “For starters, he’s my baby now. I have paperwork to prove this. Secondly, I know you didn’t just come here demanding me to hand him over, that’s not how custody works.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>       Cat stared at the door anxiously, her mind crying out to barge in and comfort her son, even if only for a few seconds. Jade groaned when she noticed that Cat would be no help, already tired of the situation. “Well you did it,” she grumbled, quickly interrupting Cynthia when she burst out with another argument. “But that’s not why we’re here. We’re here to give you these because someone by the name of Cynthia doesn’t answer their phone.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>     Jade shoved the papers into Cynthia’s hands, watching as she skimmed through the tiny stack. “Court papers??” Jade crossed her arms, resting on the railing behind her. “Yeah, Cat’s fighting for custody. The court dates are on those papers, if you don’t show up he’s automatically ours.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>     Cynthia shook her head quickly, handing the papers back only for Jade to not accept them. Her fingers gripped the papers tightly, making them crinkle under her grasp. “That’s impossible, the city says he already belongs to me.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>      Jade almost laughed at her stupidity, pointing to the papers. “Check again. We’re bringing it to the state, it doesn’t matter what the city says. He’s soon going to be ours.” Jade loved seeing the fear that crossed Cynthia’s face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “Can you guys please not talk about him like he’s property, he’s my s-son.” Cat whimpered, fiddling with her hands softly. She tried to focus on their conversation but found it hard when her son was crying. She hated to imagine that he was like this often, crying without her there to help him. “Did you have to leave him alone in there?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “You don’t know the first thing about parenting, I know what I’m doing.” Cynthia hissed. Cat was unable to stop the tears that formed as Cynthia opened the door to her home, getting ready to leave the two of them after hearing what they needed to tell her. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>     Cat’s body jerked, her hand gripping her mother’s hand before she was able to completely leave them hanging. Cynthia froze at Cat’s touch, Cat’s small hand enveloping hers tightly as Cat bit her lip. “Can I please see him at least?” Cat asked quietly, a lone tear rolling down her face. </span>
</p><p>
  
  <em>
    <span>Cat hid her face in her mother’s shirt, trying her best to avoid the doctor that stood across from her. She buried her small face into her mother’s chest, her hands gripping her mom's shirt as she cried. “No! I’m scared!” </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>     Cynthia hugged her young daughter tightly, giving the doctor a remorseful glance before looking down at her six year old daughter. She combed her finger through Cat’s, soft brunette hair. “Caterina, there’s nothing to be afraid of. The doctor just wants to help you.” She murmured gently, sighing softly when Cat shook her head. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>      “It’s gonna hurt!” Cat sobbed, referencing the needle that the doctor held. Cynthia rubbed Cat’s back softly, trying her best to coax her into getting her flu shot. She always knew Cat was sensitive, but now she didn’t even want to get close to the poor doctor that was just doing their job. Cat squeezed her eyes shut, trying to block out the world, something she carried on with her for a while. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>      “Sunshine, it’s only gonna hurt for a second.” She comforted, nodding as the doctor added the fact that it just felt like a pinch. “You see, it’s not that bad at all.” Cat looked up at her mother through her watery eyes, sniffling softly as she clumsily wiped her tears. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>     “You promise?” Her mother nodded, causing her to hug her tightly. “O-okay mommy.” She said finally, allowing the doctor to pull up her sleeve. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>     “Here, hold my hand. Squeeze it when it hurts, okay?” Cat’s tiny gripped her mother’s hand tightly, squeezing it when the sting of the medicine poked through her skin. Her lip quivered as another tear rolled down her cheek, staying still as the doctor placed a pink bandaid on her arm. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>      “Good girl, see, not so bad right?” Cat nodded slightly as she wiped her tears messily. She smiled softly when her mother kissed her hair, rubbing her back softly as she received a sticker for being a big girl. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>      Cynthia hesitated at the feeling of Cat holding her hand, her touch almost burning.  Noticing this, Cat quickly let go. Cat’s hands trembled as she stood in front of her mother, “Please, I just want to see him.” Cat whimpered, her hands falling into her pockets as the cool morning california breeze blew by. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>      She wore one of Robbie’s old patch-covered, brown leather jackets, the heavy jacket hugging her skin comfortingly. His scent lingered on the inner fabric, almost making her want to cry on its own. Jade watched the interaction as Cynthia became silent, quickly placing a hand on Cat’s shoulder to turn away, assuming that her mom would decline. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “F-fine.” Cynthia choked out, “But you have to wait here for a second.” Cat bobbed her head in agreement, nervously awaiting as Cynthia slipped back into her home. Jade didn’t get her hopes up, sitting at the door with a scowl while waiting for the door to reopen. She would never trust a single word that came out of that lady’s mouth, she was basically the devil in disguise. She expected for her to lie, leaving the both of them in the cold as they waited. To say she was surprised when Cynthia reappeared was an understatement, except now Cynthia was holding Cat’s sobbing baby. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>      Cat burst into tears at the sight of her son, quickly reaching her arms out to carry him gently. She stared down at him with tear filled eyes, taking in each detail on his face while he whimpered. Her fears of him forgetting her were washed away when he quickly continued their usual routine of him calming down at her touch. She cuddled Arthur into her chest, his fists tangling in her long hair as he whimpered into her shirt. “Hey b-baby, it’s okay. M-mama’s here.” Cat’s chest shook with sobs as hugged her son tightly, reunited with her the last living piece of her own family. She gently sat on the stairs of the porch, smiling down at him while he looked at her. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>      Her mother grimaced at the way Cat managed to soothe the crying baby so quickly, something she never managed to do. She almost felt bad for separating the two, guilt seeping into her veins at the sight of the small family. Jade acknowledged her sad expression, chuckling as she crossed her arms. “Regretting what you did?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “Of course not, I want the best for my grandson. I did what had to be done.” Cynthia scoffed, resting on the doorframe of her house. Jade laughed at her words, shaking her head softly. “It’s pointless at the end of day, Cat’s going to win custody again.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “I don’t know why you’re even fighting so hard, I’m helping Cat. She has her career ahead of her, she can find a new man later and have all the babies she wants then. Now she should continue to focus on money.” She argued softly, furrowing her brows when Jade frowned. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “When will you realize that Robbie wasn’t just some school crush, she actually loved him. There’s a reason she wears that ring. Plus, it’s not like that, you know being a mom isn’t like that.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “Oh, what would you know about being a mother?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “I know that you still love Cat somewhere in that evil brain of yours.” Jade spoke, glaring at the other woman with daggers in her eyes. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “Wouldn’t you know about being evil?” She huffed, looking away to avoid Jade’s glare. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “I’m mean, not evil. There’s a difference. Calling you an evil hog is mean, you taking away the one thing Cat has left of her husband, the one thing she really loves for your own pleasure is evil. What you’re doing is evil.” Jade growled, pointing at Cat. Cat was clearly ignoring the two of them, kissing, hugging, and talking to her baby boy quietly as she took in every sound he made. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “Mama’s going to bring you back home, I promise. Okay baby?” Cat forced her biggest smile when looking down at him, kissing his forehead softly. “You’re so big now, you’re almost five months old now. Can you b-believe that? My baby is getting so big.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>      Arthur cooed at Cat, his big brown eyes staring up at her. “Ah, ah!” He gurgled, clapping his hands together while reaching towards her face. Tears rolled down her face at the sight of her son, sad she was hardly able to see how his personality was slowly beginning to sprout. She lowered her face to his, kissing his forehead again as he clapped happily, clearly enjoying the affection. “I love you too, baby.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>       Jade looked back at Cat’s mother with a raised brow. She partly expected her to realize that Cat was a good mother, the connection between the two of them unbreakable. “I’ll be at the court dates.” Cynthia muttered, having yet to give in. The motherly part of her that was hidden deep inside felt love for her daughter, her heart melting at the sight of Cat connecting with her son after a long time apart. However the money desperate part of her drowned it out, finding herself sour at the fact that she might lose. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “You’re seriously still going, it’s pointless-“ Jade argued, taken aback when Cynthia’s phone rumbled. Cynthia quickly quieted Jade to check her phone, her face dropping when she read the text. “You guys need to go, now.” Cynthia hissed, looking at how Jade became confused. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “Cat’s only seen Arthur for like five minutes, can’t she stay a little longer?” Jade questioned, looking at Cat as she glanced up at the two of them, her smile dropping as she clutched Arthur tighter, afraid to let him go. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “No, your time is up.” Cynthia moved next to Cat, frowning when Cat’s tears came stronger. Cat looked up at her mother, her eyes begging for more time. “M-mom please.” She whimpered, her hand softly running past her son's black curls. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>      Cynthia quietly crouched down to Cat’s level, placing a gentle hand on Cat’s cheek. Her thumb wiped one of her tears away, the gentleness of the action nearly reminding Cat of life before her mom became toxic. “You have 30 seconds to hand me the baby and get off my property before I call the police.” Cynthia murmured sweetly, her words causing Cat to cry. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>      She hugged Arthur against her chest as tightly as she could without harming him, her chin trembling as she stared at her son's innocent face. “I-I’m so s-sorry baby, please be g-good for Cynthia. Mama l-loves you so much. I-I love you.” She cried to her son, her whole body shaking with quiet sobs as she handed off her baby, her heart breaking into a million pieces when he began to cry at Cynthia’s touch. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>     Cynthia held the crying baby in her arms, watching as Cat struggled to look away from her. “Has h-he at least been eating fine? He’s normally j-just breastfed- Oh, I d-didn’t even bring his b-blankie. Is he sleeping o-okay? I-I know I’m late but he likes to be h-held while going to bed, not rocked, okay? He sometimes likes music too.” Cat spoke, sobbing when Jade came over and grabbed her hand, having to pull her away from Cynthia’s house before they were arrested for trespassing. Jade shook her head at the older lady one last time before turning away completely, Cat was unable to keep her eyes off of her son while Jade pulled her away. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>     Jade opened the passenger side of the door, rubbing Cat’s back as she jumped for a hug. She comforted Cat as she sobbed into her shoulder, carefully helping her into the car before hopping in on her own side. She frowned as Cat cried on the way home, crying about how guilty she felt handing off Arthur, wondering if he felt betrayed by her. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>      Meanwhile, Cynthia tried to listen to Cat, holding Arthur in her arms to try and settle him down quickly. She groaned when it hardly worked, his cries only becoming louder as he screamed for his mother. She froze when she heard the knock on the door, quickly placing the crying baby in his crib before running to the door. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>      She stepped outside to speak with the man on the other side, his face covered with his ball cap and sunglasses. He made sure to keep his head low as he handed her the envelope, her gut twisting with guilt and greed as she felt the stack of cash. “You better not lose those custody battles, Cat’s lawyer reached out to me for information on her. I know everyone else is on her side.” He growled, his dark gaze shining through the glasses. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “This wasn’t part of the deal. You told me I just had to care for the baby and you’d pay me, you didn’t say she’d fight for custody.” Cynthia hissed through clenched teeth. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>      The man tightened his fists, his finger pointing at her before pressing down hard on her chest. “I didn’t think she actually cared for the stupid</span>
  <em>
    <span> bastard</span>
  </em>
  <span>, but it doesn’t matter. No more custody, no more money. That’s the bottom line.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>     She slapped his hand away, nearly breaking it with the force. She held back from pushing him, knowing he was her only source of income after her divorce. “Don’t speak about my grandson like that, Steven.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>    Steven laughed psychotically at her words, his laughter sending chills down her spine. “What now you care for the little shit? Get rid of it for all care, you know all I want for her is to only be able to focus on music. With the baby gone, maybe she’ll focus on what’s good for her.” Cat’s manager smiled when Cynthia faltered, biting her lip to stop herself from saying something he wouldn’t like. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “Just go home Steven, you already gave me the money. I’ll work out the rest.” She muttered, looking down when he smiled. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “That’s more like it, </span>
  <em>
    <span>Ms. Valentine</span>
  </em>
  <span>.”</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0011"><h2>11. History</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Snippets of Cat’s childhood + a little extra.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>These all take places with Cat being at different ages ranging from 6-18. They kinda go in order, with gaps between the years obviously, but only a few explicitly state how old she is. Just keep that in mind ig</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>     <em>Cat trembled as she looked around her kindergarten classroom, her knees shaking as she looked at all the other kids. Everyone had their mom or dad with them, ready to explore their first day of school. She had no one. She was the only one who was alone. She couldn’t help but want to cry, her mom promised she’d be there. Instead, she was forced to watch her mother leave to go care for her brother. Her lip quivered as she looked up at the young teacher, the woman giving the poor girl a pitiful look. </em></p><p>
  <em>     “Let’s find someone to pair you up with, how about that?” She questioned, crouching down to Cat’s level. Cat nodded while wiping the water from her eyes, she grabbed the teachers hand tightly as she brought her to another group, a young boy with his dad. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>     “Hey, I’m Cat.” She greeted quietly, playing with her hands as she looked down. She avoided looking directly at the boy with dark,  curly hair and huge glasses. She was embarrassed to be the only one alone. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>     “Hey, I’m Robbie.” He greeted, staring back at his dad to receive a mean glare. His back stiffened as he looked back at Cat, quickly correcting himself. “Robert, I’m Robert.” </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>    Cynthia walked next to her family, smiling softly as Cat sat on her father’s shoulders. Cat clapped as she watched the fireworks in the park go off, laughing at the bright lights. Cat’s innocent smile made her feel like it was possible that their family would be just fine, that they could work through their problems and help Pat. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>      She wrapped her arm around her son's shoulder as he looked up in awe at the sky, sitting directly next to his mom. “Cool, right?” Their dad asked, causing each of them to nod happily. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>     “It’s so bright! And loud!” Cat cheered, hugging her father’s head while she was on his shoulders. Pat nodded quickly in agreement, for once not getting himself in trouble or put into the hospital. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>     Cat couldn’t help but to be ecstatic at the fact that her family was all together. Even her brother was there, someone who she never really saw. She giggled when another firework went off, lighting up the sky for a few seconds before dissolving. </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>     Cat held back tears as she watched her mother leave through the door, the nine year old felt like she was too old to cry. Her mom had promised to give them a girls day, their plans to spend the day watching movies and spending time together. Instead, like always, Cynthia had to leave with Cat’s father and Pat after Pat did something stupid. Now the poor boy had an entire lightbulb stuck in his mouth, his jaw locked open at the tension. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>      She wondered how they felt fine leaving her alone, again. She knew the routine, she’d be home alone until the late hours of the night, most likely going to sleep hungry with the lack of knowledge around cooking. She was tempted to call at least one of her friends to see if she could come over, but she had already been over Jade’s house three times this week plus Robbie’s parents didn’t like company. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>     She watched TV alone, her eyes always shifting to her home phone, tempted to call. She watched as the sun settled into the moon, darkness covering her home. She whimpered as she moved to her room, trying her best to fall asleep in the quiet house. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>     She shivered under the blanket, closing her eyes to shut out the scary room around her. Tears slipped past her eyes as she tried to block out the scary sounds of the branches tapping against her window, convinced they were monsters trying to get her. She covered herself in her blanket, hiding her from the outer world. What hurt the most was the fact that it was likely that when she woke up she’d still be alone. </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>    Cat giggled as her mom swiped a small dollop of frosting on her nose, both of them laughing when she tried to lick it off with her tongue. The two of them were making cupcakes for Pat’s birthday day, red velvet because they were a family favorite. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>      Cat helped her mom stuff all the frosting into a plastic piping bag, watching with a small as she piped almost perfect swirls of white frosting onto the cupcakes. “Here try one, a baker always tastes her creations before allowing others to eat them.” Cynthia said softly, handing Cat one of the finished cupcakes. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>     Cat stared at her mom with wide eyes, “Really? Are you sure?” She questioned, holding the treat with gentle hands. She watched as her mom nodded, motioning for her to eat the cake. Cat softly took a bite from the cupcake, her eyes widening with shock as she chewed. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>     “It’s really good!” She cheered, the sound muffled from her mouth being full. Cynthia smiled before dusting her hands off on her apron, “Great, now let’s set them all up for when Pat gets home.” </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>     “Why can’t you just get a job!” Cat’s father shouted, slamming an empty bottle of beer on the ground. The sound echoed through the house, horrifying Cat. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>      “Ralph! You know I have to stay at home for the kids!” Cynthia yelled back, her face red from her anger. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>    “They’ll be no kids if you don’t start making some cash! Patrick’s hospital bills are outrageous, we can’t keep living like this!” Ralph took another swig from his bottle, the alcohol stinging his throat on the way down. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>     “It’s not my fault he’s a mess! It’s not my fault our kids are just mistakes! You can’t blame me that they’re both the way they are! Stupid and childish!” She screamed before storming off, her own breath reeking of wine. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>     Cat watched from behind the door frame, her eyes watering at her mother’s words. Did she really think that way? Cat stood there, stunned from their argument, unable to move when she saw her mother unknowingly move closer to her. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>     Cynthia noticed Cat with a scowl, angry at the girl for snooping in on her parents. “Go to your goddamn room if you know what’s right!” She yelled, pointing at the stairs. Cat looked up at her mother with wide eyes, the fear and hurt that she held in her gaze horrifying Cynthia. She ignored the feeling, instead her hand swung back and hit Cat across the cheek. Something she’d soon regret later.“Well, get going!” </em>
</p><p>
  <em>      The ten year old broke into sobs as she quickly turned around to run up to her bedroom, her hand holding her sore, crimson cheek. She couldn’t hear her mother’s muffled yells when she accidentally slammed her door, running under her bed with Mr. Purple. She clutched the stuffed animal to her chest, hot tears hitting the synthetic fur. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>     She tried to muffle her cries through her hand, not wanting her mother to come upstairs and yell at her for crying like a baby. “I-I’m under my bed, I’m under my b-bed, I’m…” Her words came out of her lips in a broken pattern, trying to block out the sounds of her parents' continued argument and the pain in her cheek. She couldn’t fathom the fact that her mom actually hit her, she didn’t think she did anything bad enough to get hit. She could feel her flesh already being tender, a bruise most likely forming. </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>     Cat was only thirteen when she heard her parents were going to spend some time apart, her father leaving to take a break across the country while she was forced to stay home with her mom. She could’ve sworn that everytime she looked at her mother she was only ever met with a look of hatred. It was to the point where she tried to avoid her mother completely when she was home, going to Jade’s house instead.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>       It would take a year or two for her father to come back, except for the fact that he came back with another lady and only paid attention to her when he wanted. Which was really never. She watched from the sidelines as her parents mostly argued about Pat, both of them screaming and fighting over who had to go to the hospital with him. It wasn’t until she was in highschool and Pat was considered an adult when her father left them completely, leaving their broken family behind. </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>     Cat entered her quiet home, her fists clenching when she noticed her mom was gone. Again. It was her basic routine all throughout her middle school, freshman and sophomore year. She basically lived alone, her mom spending days and days at a time to care for her brother. Except now she was able to actually call her friends, her own cell phone coming in handy most of the time. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>     She placed her backpack down before slumping on the couch. She knew Jade was busy with Beck, Tori was stuck with her family and Andre was after school, that left one person. She nervously dialed his number, her heart always beating faster whenever she called him. She had no idea why she was so nervous as she heard each ring, he always picked up when she called. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>     “Hey, cutie.” He greeted her from the other side of the phone. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>     “Hey, are you, um, free? My parents aren’t home and it’s really lonely.” Cat murmured, her cheeks somehow becoming flushed as she spoke. “I guess I’m asking if you can come over.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>     “Yupperooni!” He called through the phone, “I can be there in like 15 minutes, I just need to drop Rex off at home.” </em>
</p><p>
  <em>     “Kay-kay, I’ll see you then Robbie.” </em>
</p><p>
  <em>     “See you later, cutie.” </em>
</p><p>
  <em>     Cat couldn’t help the blush on her cheeks when she opened the door for Robbie, his arms holding a pizza box and a liter of soda. “Hey.” She greeted nervously, helping him as he struggled to carry the box into her house. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>     “I thought maybe we could just watch TV and have some grub, u-unless you already ate. That’s f-fine too.” He spoke, scratching the back of his neck nervously. He let out a huff of air once she basically tackled him in a hug, her body wrapping around his while her arms went around his neck. His face turned red when she gave him one of her signature cheek pecks, her lips brushing the corner of his mouth before she buried her face in his collar.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>    “Thank you, Robbie.” She murmured into his shoulder quietly. His hands awkwardly sat by his side before fumbling towards her back, rubbing her back softly as she buried her face in his neck. “N-no problemo.” </em>
</p><p>
  <em>      She smiled at his awkwardness, giggling softly before finally allowing him to place her gently on the ground. They both settled on the couch, sitting with inches of space between them. They both laughed at what was on the TV, stuffing their faces with the pizza Robbie brought over. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>       Robbie glanced over at her at the same time as she did for him, they caught eye contact quickly. They both gave each other a soft smile, the light from the television being the only light source in the dark room as night fell quickly. The gap between them became smaller as they spent more time together. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>      After a while, Cat found herself becoming sleepy. While on a whim, possibly high on melatonin, she shifted her head onto his lap. She pulled one of the throw blankets over her body as she continued to watch the television, purring softly like her namesake when his hand ran through her hair. “My Robbie.” She murmured quietly, nuzzling her head on her new pillow. She hardly noticed when she fell asleep, waking up the next morning tucked in her bed with a note from Robbie. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>     ‘You fell asleep so I brought you to bed, don’t worry I didn’t do anything. See you at school.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>                                    Sincerely,</em>
</p><p>
  <em>                                            Your Robbie</em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>   p.s I cleaned the living room and put some leftovers in the fridge if you get hungry.’</em>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <em>     Cat slid down the lockers in the mostly empty hallway of hollywood arts, unable to stop the tears that flowed from her eyes. It wasn’t easy getting a text from your mom saying she completely cut you off on the day of your graduation.  It was a good thing both of her parents didn’t even bother to try and show up, she was pretty sure her friends would’ve killed them. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>       “Are you sure you’re fine?” Tori questioned, rubbing Cat’s shoulder softly. Cat tried to wipe her tears away, sniffling loudly as she nodded. She glanced up at Tori, Beck, and Jade with watery eyes. “Yeah, I just want to be alone right now.” </em>
</p><p>
  <em>      All of them were dressed in their velvety gowns, their caps resting on their heads as they waited for graduation to start. Cat had taken her cap off, throwing it to the floor next to her. It hurt them to see Cat so upset, someone who was so excited to graduate. But they could tell she knew what she wanted, and she wanted to alone.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>     “You know where to find us, baby girl.” Jade sent her one last look of remorse before grabbing Beck’s hand and walking away, allowing the girl the privacy she wants. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>     Cat pulled her knees towards her chest, her face resting on her arms as tears freely fell. Part of her was angry for being so upset with her mom, someone who had hardly even been there for her over the past years. Even forgetting her birthday sometimes. It made her cry even harder for being so dumb, she hated herself for not being able to help her brother. She hated herself for not being able to keep her family from falling apart. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>      “Robbie, go away.” She mumbled quietly, causing the boy to squeak as he revealed himself more clearly.  He nearly dropped Rex, the puppet that was sporting the same outfit as the rest of them. “Sorry.” He yelped, his shoes squeaking against the ground as he walked closer, ignoring her previous words. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>       He sat down next to her, crossing his legs and placing Rex down to the side, the puppet slouching towards the ground. She glanced at him before looking back at the ground, “I thought I said to leave me alone.” She hissed, guilt overcoming her immediately after. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>     “I know.” He stated, looking at her tear stained, flushed face. Her nose was bright red from constantly wiping it on her sleeve, trying not to be a complete mess. He nervously played with his hands on his lap, looking at her sadly. “I know you don’t like being alone, so I’ll just sit here and you can pretend I’m not here. But if you want to talk, go ahead.” </em>
</p><p>
  <em>      Cat stared at Robbie through wide eyes, watching as he smiled softly at her.  She looked away nervously, her gaze falling back onto the tiled floor. They sat in silence for a while, Robbie allowing her to cry as much as she wanted in his company. Their silence, besides her sniffles, was comfortable. His presence did help. She really didn’t want to be alone and now felt the guilt of being mean to him taking her over completely. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>       Her lip trembled as she felt her tears come stronger, she looked back at him. She couldn’t help the way her chest shook softly, her tears coming even stronger. “I’m sorry I was mean to you.” She cried softly, frustrated with herself by the way he didn’t act hurt at all. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>      Robbie placed a gentle hand on her shoulder, rubbing it softly. “Don’t be, I know what happened hurts.” He murmured, causing her to nod, the pain in her chest almost making it hard to breathe. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>      “I don’t know why it hurts so much, Robbie. She never loved me anyway.” She whimpered, hugging herself tightly. She appreciated the fact that Robbie didn’t give her a look of pity, instead he gave her an understanding look. She felt the butterflies in her stomach explode at the sight of his adorable curls that stuck out from his graduation cap and his big glasses that made his eyes look huge.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>     “Cat, she’s your mom. It’s okay to be hurt, she just doesn’t understand how great you are.” He said, grabbing her hand as she turned her body to face him. For a second he was nervous that his hand was sweaty, but his worries were washed away when she squeezed his hand softly. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>     “I’m not great, though. I couldn’t save their marriage and I can’t even help my brother. I feel awful for being jealous of the attention Pat gets, even though I know he needs it more than me. It’s my fault my family fell apart.” She murmured, whimpering when he moved his hands to wipe her tears away. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>      “Don’t blame yourself for things that are out of your control, Kitty. None of that is your fault. Don’t be mad about how you feel, your feelings are valid.” He murmured, smiling when she rested her face in his hands. “Don’t pay attention to her right now, this is your day. You’ve worked too hard to let her rain on your parade. You’re the first person that deserves to be happy.” </em>
</p><p>
  <em>     Cat smiled back at him through her tears, her dimple appearing quickly. She moved her hands to hold his against her face, not wanting him to let go just yet. “Thank you for staying, Robbie.” She murmured, her tears drying. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>      “Y-your welcome.” He stuttered, suddenly embarrassed in front of Cat. Cat giggled at his flushed face, her hands leaving his to cup his cheeks. “My Robbie is so weird.” She giggled, her thumb caressing his cheeks softly. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>      “Your Robbie?” He questioned softly, watching her as her fingers traced over his lips. She nodded softly, whispering to him quietly, referencing his past words. “Can you tell me another secret?” </em>
</p><p>
  <em>     For a moment Robbie was confused before remembering what she meant, his eyes widened for a moment as he stumbled with his words. “Really?” He questioned, one of his hands falling to her waist as he cupped his cheek. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>      “Please.” He carefully lowered his face to hers, his breath touching her lips for a second before she closed the gap, desperate to touch his plump lips again. Cat quickly forgot everything when she kissed his lips, only thinking about how impossibly soft they felt against her own. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>     “Woah.” They both gasped as soon as they separated, their hands still grasping each other’s faces. Cat stared into his big, dark eyes, wondering if hers reflected as much love. He gasped again when she threw herself against him, throwing her arms around his neck. She pressed her lips against his harder, smiling into the kiss when his hands found her back. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>      It didn’t take long for their lips to dance softly, Cat whimpering softly when he sucked her bottom lip, nibbling on it softly. In retaliation, Cat tilted her head, deepening their kiss as their lips smacked together. Her tongue swiped his lip, his gasp creating entry. They kissed until they ran out of breath, their breaths mingling as they stayed close together. “Oh my god, I love you.” She breathed, making him stutter quickly. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>      “Oh my god? What’s that supposed to mean?” He questioned, staring at her with a smirk. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>      “Hey, that’s my line.” She murmured, puffing out her cheeks softly while squeezing his cheeks together softly with her hands. She giggled at the way his lips squished together, “It means I love you. So much.” </em>
</p><p>
  <em>     “Are you sure? I’m really not all that great- you can’t find so many better and prettier boys.” He murmured, shutting up when she pressed her lips against his in a chaste kiss, pressing her forehead against his. “I love you, Robbie. I promise.” </em>
</p><p>
  <em>     He smiled as her fingers played with the hair on the nape of his neck, his gaze softening when he looked directly in her eyes, her doe eyes shining with love. “I love you too.” He murmured, making a smile break out onto her lips. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>     “Say that again please.” She requested, looking down at him from his lap. They hardly noticed the way she straddled him, his arms around her waist. “I love you?” </em>
</p><p>
  <em>      She nodded quickly, loving the sound coming from his lips. “I love you.” She whispered, giggling when he said it again too. “I love you.” </em>
</p><p>
  <em>       They confessed their love to each other multiple times, each time becoming happier and more cheerful. Pretty soon, Robbie lifted her off the ground, spinning her around happily. “I love you!” She cheered, hugging him tightly as they swung in circles. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>      They hardly noticed the rest of their friends until they all cleared their throats, “What’s with all the commotion?” Andre asked jokingly as Cat ducked into Robbie’s shoulder in embarrassment. Both of them were flustered at being caught by their friends. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>      “Hey..” Robbie greeted quietly, his flushed face extremely cute to Cat. She hugged his waist tighter, hiding from her friends in plain sight.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>   “The ceremony starts in like 5 minutes, yknow?” Andre questioned, pointing to his watch. Tori clapped happily at the couple, her ‘favorite ship’ finally becoming real. Jade smirked as she stared at Cat, resting on Beck’s shoulder while his arm was wrapped around her. “Everyone’s already outside.” </em>
</p><p>
  <em>      “We’ll meet you outside.” Cat mumbled against his chest, knowing that Tori and Jade(yeah, what a shocker) were going to ask her for the details of what happened sooner or later. They chuckled as they walked away, allowing the new, flustered couple privacy. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>     He gently placed Cat down with a kiss on her temple, allowing her to catch her balance while picking her cap up from the floor. He brushed it off quickly before replacing it on her head. “Will you be my girlfriend then?” He questioned quietly, fixing the tassel on her hat. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>      “Of course, I don’t just kiss random boys, you know.” She murmured, going on her tiptoes for another kiss. She couldn’t get over the impossible feel of his lips against her own, the tingling enough to make her dizzy. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>      “I love you, I have for a really long time.” She softly caressed his face, “I really love you too, I promise.” He smiled down at her, her tiny dimple making his heart beat faster. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>      “Well let’s get going, we don’t want to miss our own graduation.” Cat cheered, getting ready to walk out the school doors. Robbie grabbed her hand before twirling her around, leaving her dazed. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>     “You don’t think I’m going to let my princess make a boring entrance, right?” He questioned, making her look at him with confusion. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>     He answered her unasked questions by turning around and crouching slightly, allowing her perfect access for a piggyback ride. She smiled before jumping on, hugging the back of his neck and wrapping her legs around his torso. He quickly made his way towards the entrance before Cat quickly called out to him. “Wait! Rex!” </em>
</p><p>
  <em>      He turned on his heel, running back to Rex and allowing her to pick him up. “He deserves to graduate too.” She murmured, giggling as Robbie carried her out the door, both of them bouncing with each step. </em>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0012"><h2>12. Pictures</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Cat, Andre, and Jade take a morning walk. Cat realizes nothing is how she expected it to be.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p><p>    Cat gripped Andre’s hand as she walked down the street, her eyes focusing on the ground in front of her. Under any other circumstances she would’ve loved the feeling of the warm sun on her skin and the gentle breeze that ruffled her hair, but now she hated it. Her stomach stirred whenever she saw anybody’s head turn at her appearance, it made her feel like an alien. </p><p>     “It’s not too bad, right?” He questioned, smiling at her. He didn’t like seeing her so not herself, especially when Jade noticed it too. Jade was on Cat’s other side, randomly sending Andre a concerned look whenever Cat audibly whimpered. </p><p>      Cat looked up at Andre, forcing a shaky smile and nodding. “Y-yeah.” She lied, her hand squeezing his. He frowned at Jade when Cat looked back down, hardly even paying attention to the path in front of her. She used Andre’s hand to lead her through the streets, her other hand loosely holding onto her coffee. </p><p>      She didn’t like the fact that her label basically forced her to do something, offering to drop her unless she gave the public at least a little to live off. It took a good amount of time, but they finally agreed to her just walking around town, going to a cafe and taking a stroll. Her friends could see how much she hated being in public during such a hard time, her face naturally dripping into a frown. She didn’t even like coffee, the bitter taste lingered no matter how much cream or sugar there was. She ended up just grabbing black, not wanting to spend unnecessary time at the cafe.</p><p>      She didn’t even know why she didn’t let them drop her as an artist, she didn’t like their controlling nature anyway. Not to mention she could likely find a better one that’d be willing to pick her up when she was ready. However, even with these points she found herself falling back into what they wanted. What if all the controversy she faced made it impossible for anyone else to sign her? She couldn’t imagine a world without singing, it was one of the things that made her the happiest. When she was in a good state of mind at least. </p><p>      “Cat, try to relax. There’s no way you’re going to lose next week.” Jade whispered, avoiding letting anyone around them from the public hear them. It was a lost cause, most people already knew what was happening. She just didn’t want the public to know when the court dates were. </p><p>      <em>Cat was huddled into Jade’s side, trembling as she held Rex closely. Tears freely fell from her eyes, silently staring at her phone. “Cat, I’m sorry.” Jade admitted, something she didn’t say often. “I didn’t know we were being followed.” </em></p><p>
  <em>     “It’s n-not your fault.” Cat whimpered, pulling Rex closer. Neither of them would've ever guessed the fact that the paparazzi managed to find them when they visited Cynthia, capturing pictures of the entire ordeal. Cat was mostly met with pity, most news outlets granting her privacy by not creating articles with false information. That didn’t stop the bigger blogs from posting them, all of them creating different assumptions for Cat being forced to leave her baby behind. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>      No one close to Cat could believe the audacity they had. Were they not able to see how much of a personal moment it was to her? Couldn’t they have just assumed it meant a lot to her? Instead photos of her first interaction with her baby after months circled the internet. Maybe it was her mistake for being outside, but it wasn’t like her mom would’ve allowed her inside.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>      Cat burst into tears when she saw some of them calling her bad, reckless mother. Either allowing her baby to always be nannied by her mom or her behavior forcing Arthur to be taken away. The words that hurt the most were the ones who said she didn’t want her baby, that she gave him up to somebody else so she could still be a kid. If only they knew that was the complete opposite. It definitely made her dislike the fame even more than already did.</em>
</p><p>     Cat stayed silent, biting her lip softly. It was an uncomfortable silence for her two friends, the past year changing Cat completely. She left her happiness behind with Robbie, the couple that really never left their honeymoon phase. They couldn’t help but remember the past, back when Robbie would run through the streets with a laughing Cat on his back, forcing the rest of them to chase after them. Those days always ended with good energy, all of them laughing as they finished the night off at one of their houses. Everyone around them was able to feel the joy that radiated off the group, they felt like it’d be possible to be young forever. Still living life like they were high schoolers. </p><p>      Now, everything was different. The other pedestrians were able to feel the dull pain that they gave off. Jade was still heartbroken over Beck while Andre found it hard to be happy with Beck rubbing off his depressed energy. Cat felt like she did when Robbie died, like happiness was impossible again. She constantly worried about her son, the poor baby was probably so confused. She didn’t like thinking that maybe he’d hate her for leaving him, even when Jade told her that wasn’t possible. The two even tried to go back to Cynthia’s, hoping for Cat to see Arthur again. They were met with a door to the face, breaking Cat’s heart even more. </p><p>    Cat tried to focus on anything she could, trying to not let her mind control her thoughts and worsen her already poor mood. She looked around, trying to ignore the fact that she felt like she was forgetting the way Robbie felt next to her, his hands on her waist or his lips against hers. The memory sinking away from her skin slowly. She noticed the way Jade’s cup was now empty, the paper cup crinkling in her grasp more than it should. “Take mine,” She murmured, her voice quiet and dull, “It’s making me feel sick anyway.” </p><p>     “Hm, oh. Thanks I guess.” Jade carefully took the drink, noting the way it was essentially still full, no more than a single sip had to have been taken. She sighed, assuming that it was Cat’s nerves playing a big role in her wellness. “Baby girl, we’re almost to the car. Just try and breathe.” </p><p>      Cat would've tried to listen, she really would have. But she froze, her breath quickening while her ears strained to try and see if her ears were deceiving her. Both Andre and Jade paused, Andre squeezing her hand tightly when her back straightened abruptly, fear drowning her senses. click! Cat sent a terrified look to Andre, her hand gripping his impossibly tight.</p><p>      “Caterina Valentine!” “Cat!” “Ms. Valentine!” It didn’t take long for even more paparazzi to swarm them, of course they’d want the latest bits of information on her. She felt stupid for not thinking that her label would inform some of them where she was, it was technically a simple thing for publicity. She had just forgotten how scary it was to be surrounded with constantly flashing lights and everyone yelling your name. “Caterina are you working on music right now?” “Tell us about your baby!” “Can you explain what happened last month?” “Caterina look over here!”</p><p>     Cat used her free hand to cover her face, her head facing downwards as she let Andre lead her down the street. All she could see was the flashing of lights, the blinding lights of their cameras. They made her feel sicker than the coffee. Couldn’t they see she wasn’t in the mood to be bombarded with questions? “How’s romance? Any new boyfriends?” “Did you give your baby up for adoption?” “What’s your baby’s name? Is Robert Shapiro really the father?” </p><p>     “She’s not going to answer any of your questions.” Jade growled, sending a dirty look to each of the men. She glanced at Andre to see him just as angry, each of them aware of Cat’s anxiety. “Cat, we’re almost there. Don’t worry.” Andre murmured, squeezing her hand. </p><p>     “Is this your new boyfriend?” “Have you already started dating again?” “Have you moved on from Robbie?” “Are you working on music?” Andre reluctantly released her hand, afraid of the allegations. Cat, however, didn’t let go. She hated feeling so mean, after all they were just doing their jobs. Her throat ached to at least say something but she knew she’d probably break. Her throat burned with unsaid words, listening as Jade told off every man that asked an inappropriate question. </p><p>      She stayed silent as Andre helped her into the back seat of Jade’s car, quickly curling into a ball in her seat. She hardly noticed the way he sat next to her, trying to comfort her. She stared at her shoes, avoiding the cameras outside the window. Jade cussed out the men, quickly driving the car from the street. “Sorry Cat, I thought we would have been able to get here quick enough to avoid them.” Jade spoke from behind the wheel, frowning as she drove in circles, trying to rid them from her trail. </p><p>      “It was probably just Steven,” Andre murmured, rubbing Cat’s arm softly, “You know he is desperate for Cat to return to the public eye completely. He keeps emailing my team to try and get me to produce something.”</p><p>     “I just want my family back,” Cat whimpered, glancing out the window sadly. “He doesn’t understand that.” She loosely hugged her knees, resting her chin before closing her eyes. </p><p>      Andre carefully pulled her into a weak hug, her head resting on his chest softly. “Lil’ red, you’re going to get him back. I know you are.” He gently pet her hair, the energy in the car even more depressed than before. </p><p>     “But what if I don’t? What if he’s stuck with my mom forever?” Cat said softly, keeping her eyes closed. For once, she preferred being in her mind. She could see Arthur’s smiling face behind her eyes, it made her feel like less of a shitty mother. </p><p>      “Baby girl, you’re not going to lose. You have one of the best lawyers in the state and you’re a wonderful mom.” Jade said from the front of the car, her hands gripping the wheel tightly. “It just might take a little bit.” </p><p>     </p><p>     Andre stepped out from Cat’s room after laying her sleeping form in her bed, the tired girl having fallen asleep on the ride home. He noticed Jade sitting at the dining room table, sipping from a fresh coffee. “Another one?” He questioned, lazily sitting down across from her. </p><p>      “It’s not like she’s going to drink any of the coffee she has here.” Jade defended, taking a long, loud sip to really rub it in. Andre chuckled for a second, both of them falling into a comfortable silence. Andre watched Jade as she swiped through her phone, groaning randomly when she scrolled past anything from today. With a huff she placed her phone down, “It’s what he wanted. They like the pictures.” </p><p>      “What do you mean? It’s not like they can get a lot from her simply walking down the street. She didn’t openly say anything about Arthur at all.” Andre murmured, tapping his foot softly. “Plus, she’s literally done nothing for the past year and a half. By now any other celebrity would’ve fallen off the map.” </p><p>     Jade shook her head, blowing out air before slumping in her chair. “That’s what I thought, but I guess it just makes her comeback more anticipated.” They both frowned. </p><p>     “What are they saying at least? It can’t be horrible.” He questioned, resting his face on his hand while leaning on the table. </p><p>      “You’re right, she’s definitely had worse. Most of it’s just things about Arthur, most people are saying he’s out of her life forever. I guess they think she officially gave him up or something.” </p><p>     “That’s insane? They have no idea how much she loves him.” </p><p>      “Because she never posted him before all this happened. You know how much she wanted to keep him more private than her relationship with Robbie, she didn’t want any of these articles from the start.” </p><p>     “I know..” “Maybe she just needs to move somewhere, I don’t know, more secluded.” Tori spoke, walking into the kitchen. Her out of nowhere presence made Andre jump, causing her to chuckle quietly. She carefully placed down a paper bag, the aroma of good food radiating off of it. “I’m just saying, maybe it’d give her a little more privacy.” </p><p>      “When did you even get here?” Andre questioned, raising a brow at her. She shrugged, pointing to the fact that the door was unlocked. “Beck’s so upset it’s annoying me, so I decided to come here after cooking so you guys wouldn’t have to wait to eat. I made extra.” </p><p>     “He’s upset?” Jade asked, sending Tori a look of disbelief. Tori nodded quickly while removing the stacked containers of food from the bag. “I don’t think that guy has showered in the past month. He’s hardly eaten at all.” She murmured, looking at the flash of regret that was quickly replaced with a blank expression on Jade’s face. </p><p>      “That’s his problem anyway.” Jade mumbled, crossing her arms while slouching back onto her chair. “Back to what you said earlier, that’s like impossible. Cat likes it here.” </p><p>     “Cat also likes her privacy. She has the money to get one of those big homes in the secluded parts of LA, she could even move to another state if she wanted.” Tori stated, pulling a chair to sit with the two of them. Jade sighed softly, pulling back to stand up. “I’ll go get Cat, I want to make sure she eats at least.” </p><p>      <em>Cat gripped Robbie’s shirt tightly in her fingers, her head resting on his neck. Her tears stained his shirt as she constantly apologized, shaking her head softly. “It’s my fault, I’m sorry baby. It’s my fault Arthur’s g-gone.” She cried, trembling in his grasp. </em></p><p>
  <em>      Robbie held her as she cried into his neck, her body resting on his lap. His hands rubbed circles into her back, trying his best to rid her of her tears. “It’s not your fault, cutie. You know that.” He comforted quietly, his long curls curtaining over his eyes as he looked down at her. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>     “I’m a terrible mother.” She sobbed, making him frown deeply. He carefully pulled her into a sitting position in his lap, facing her directly while placing a hand on her chin. He watched the tears stream down her face for a second, his brows curled in sadness. “You don’t actually believe that, do you?” He frowned when Cat didn’t deny it, only looking up at him with her watery doe eyes. “Don’t ever say that, you’re such a good mom it amazes me. Arthur loves his <strong>mama</strong> so much.” </em>
</p><p>
  <em>     He gently wiped away her tears, pulling her into a tender, innocent kiss when they didn’t stop. Cat couldn’t believe how much she missed the feeling of his lips on hers, his soft, plump lips were enough to make her almost feel whole again. Key word, almost. “He’d love you so much more, you’d be such a good father.” She whimpered, her lip trembling. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>      He held her against his chest, rocking her softly. “I’m sorry, kitty. I didn’t want this to happen, I didn’t mean to leave you, but swear that I’m by your side always. No matter what.” He whispered, kissing the top of her head softly. His words crushed her heart even more, almost making her feel sick. She didn’t even think of him being there when she was at her worst, hardly getting out of bed and always sleeping, attempting to live her best life in her dreams. If she wasn’t asleep, she was most likely crying. She clenched her eyes shut tightly, taking in his strong scent to calm her nerves. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>     His strong arms wrapped around her tightly, covering her with a blanket of warmth. “Just promise me that you won’t blame yourself for anything that is out of your control.” Cat hesitated, he could read this from a mile away. “Please Sweetie, even when things get hard. Don’t beat yourself up.” </em>
</p><p>
  <em>     “O-okay, I promise.” She murmured against his chest, taking deep breaths to calm her nerves. “I love you Cat, so much.” He murmured against her hair, kissing her temple softly. His hands pet her hair softly, Cat becoming noticeably calmer. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>     “I love you more than you could ever know. Forever and always, I promise.” She mumbled into his shirt, blushing softly. She drank in the feeling of his touch, of his scent, his warmth. The feeling settling back into her skin, hopefully burning into her forever. “I know.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>     “Cat.” “Cat.” Cat could feel herself slipping from his touch, her arms wrapping around his body tightly to try and fight the fading feeling in her mind. “I’m here, I promise.” Cat nodded into his neck, pulling back to try and kiss him again. Trying to memorize the feel his lips felt forever. “Cat!” </em>
</p><p>     Cat opened her eyes softly, staring up at Jade softly. She quickly whimpered, turning away from her sadly. She tried to cover herself with the blanket only for Jade to pull it away cleanly. “Jadeyyy..” Cat groaned, fighting consciousness. </p><p>        “Come on, babygirl, you have to eat. Tori brought some food.” Cat didn’t have time to argue before Jade spoke again. “And don’t think I’m allowing you not to, you have to eat.” Jade forcefully dragged Cat from her bed, both Andre and Tori sending her looks of pity when her tired frame came into view. </p><p>      “Hey.. Cat.” Tori greeted awkwardly, watching as Cat tiredly rubbed her eyes. She sat down at the table loudly, the chair screeching against the floor. They all watched as she stared blankly at the plate of steaming rice and chicken, making no open attempts to actually eat. Cat stilled as she slowly remembered her entire dream, the vivid memory of his lips against hers making her feel all the more alone. “Cat, what’s wrong?” Tori questioned, staring at Andre and Jade confused. </p><p>      Cat didn’t know why, maybe it was pent up stress and pain, but she broke down at the question. She quickly curled into her seat, her forehead resting against the table as she looked at the floor, letting out hard sobs, her tears hitting the ground. “I m-miss Robbie!” She cried, her hands gripping the edge of the table. “I thought by now everything would be fine but it’s not! Robbie and Arthur are gone! Nothing is okay!” </p><p>     Her friends quickly moved to comfort her, each of them leaving behind their own plates to console her. “Cat it’s okay.” Jade quickly jabbed Andre in his side, pushing him away forcefully. He gasped as he was pushed to the ground, his body creating a loud thud. “He means it’s going to get better.” Tori corrected, rubbing Cat’s back as she cried loudly. </p><p>     “It’s not! It’s awful having to go to sleep every single night alone in a bed big enough for two! I’d rather he have just broken my heart by breaking up with me, I can’t take it knowing he’s actually gone! I can’t speak to him at all anymore!” She sobbed shaking her head vigorously, her arms hugging her stomach as she curled over the table. “I hate that I love dreaming about him because it just reminds me that I can’t talk to him! They always feel so real that I can’t stand waking up anymore!” </p><p>     “Cat, take a deep breath.” Jade added softly from the other side of Cat, sending Tori a concerned look at Cat continued letting out everything bottled inside of her. “And it hurts to look at Arthur because he looks just like Robbie! Our baby isn’t even going to know how great he was, he’s just going to have me!” </p><p>     Tori felt her mouth run dry, unable to speak any comforting words to her. Anything she’d say would either have the same effect as Andre’s did. She had never lived through any bit of the pain Cat had. “And I hate it because he’s just as perfect as Robbie and his life is already ruined by my mother! I promised Robbie I wouldn’t blame myself, but I can’t help it! I just want to be the perfect family we dreamed of, but it hurts so much I can’t breathe. He’s been gone for over a year and I still can hardly think of it without crying!” </p><p>      “Cat, take a deep breath. Time doesn’t always heal these things.” Jade murmured, massaging Cat as she shook with hard sobs. “It’s hard to be okay when the world is against you.” Andre added from the ground, having yet to get up. </p><p>     Cat shook her head, her hands moving to grip where her heart was. “I can’t Jade, it hurts!” </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0013"><h2>13. Black Roses</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>A little bit of a Bade-centric chapter</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>It’s a little bit rushed and i didn’t really read through it, but I hope y’all like it anyway</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p><p>
  <span>      Cat’s body trembled softly from underneath the thin blanket they draped over her, her body cuddled into a tiny ball on the couch. Her tears dripped onto Jade’s pants, soaking the fabric as her head rested on her lap. “I just want to be with Robbie. I want my sunshine back. I need my husband.” She whispered, her throat tender from holding back another sob. Her hands tucked into her chest, caressing the diamond ring on her finger. She felt empty, wanting nothing more than to fade into a ball of nothingness. Her friends offered to try to understand how she felt, but she found herself unable to explain it. It hurt so much she couldn’t breathe, yet it felt numb at the same time. It was to the point she wished she died with him, then she wouldn’t have to experience life ripped away from him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “Cat, Arthur needs his Mom. He needs you.” Jade’s hand softly pet Cat’s hair, fear causing her words to come out as whispers. She hated hearing Cat basically say she wanted to die, it wasn’t like her. It scared her senseless. Cat was in shambles without Robbie, but the rest of them would completely fall apart without Cat too. “He loves you.” She added after a pause, biting her lip when Cat’s lip quivered. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “He shouldn’t.” Cat choked out, burying her face in Jade’s pant leg. “He deserves someone better than me. He d-deserves R-Robbie.” She had to close her eyes to prevent more tears from spilling, her throat raw with nothing but emotion. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “You’re his mother Cat. You’re all he has left now.” Tori stated from across the room, nervously looking at Andre. They almost felt awkward sitting next to each other, even showing emotion towards one another knowing how much Cat was hurting. Andre awkwardly stood next to the seat Tori was occupying, his hands resting in his pockets. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “You don’t get it.” Cat shifted, blankly staring up at the ceiling. Her tears openly rolled down her temples, falling into her mess of hair that rested on Jade. “We were so close to being c-complete. I just want him to meet Arthur, and see h-him again. And r-run my fingers through his h-hair, and tell him I-I love h-him. I w-would’ve said yes, and we’d be m-married.” Cat paused, placing her hands over her mouth to block the cry that begged to escape. The rest of them stood silent, allowing her to compose herself and continue speaking, not wanting to interrupt the moment Cat was having. “I’d b-be able to be his wife and Arthur would be able to be with his daddy. R-Robbie would be such a good father, our baby would love him as m-much as I do. We’d be a complete, p-perfect family. Why couldn’t R-Robbie just s-stay? Why d-did he have to g-go?” She questioned with a cough, clenching her teeth to stop from crying aloud. Her breathing was unsteady, her composure fighting to crumble, her tongue nearly strangling her as she swallowed hard. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “Cat, I-I don’t know.” Jade admitted, her hand moving to rest on Cat’s forehead and run through her hair, Cat relaxed slightly at the touch. Part of Jade wanted to try and snap Cat out of whatever trance of sadness that Cat was in. She was doing okay last week, at least she thought. She didn’t like thinking that maybe Cat bottled everything until it boiled over, whatever pain she had becoming too much. Whatever it was, she officially worried for Cat’s wellbeing. Afraid she’d do something stupid before the trial. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “Lil’ Red, Arthur’s coming home soon. Then you won’t feel so alone, I promise.” Andre said softly, his lips pursing sadly when Cat closed her eyes again. Cat had no idea if they realized how alone she really felt, even with her friends, she felt like there was no one for her. She felt alone in the room of her friends, finding it impossible to speak about how she felt she was drowning and there was no one to save her. With Robbie dead and her brother and baby gone, that was everyone she loved with all her heart. Her family was gone, broken even. She could feel the metaphorical water fill her lungs with a burning sensation until it almost wiped away her completely, the only thing keeping her standing was the hope that Arthur brought. “I h-hope so.” She mumbled, turning her body away from the rest of them. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>     Jade strummed her fingers softly on Cat’s side, lulling her to her dream filled paradise that Cat despised. Silence filled the room until Cat’s squeaky snores came, they finally gained the confidence to speak when they knew she was asleep. “So, you said he’s been really sad about the breakup?” Jade asked, staring down at Cat’s peaceful, yet somehow still troubled face. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “He’s been messed up over for a while, Jade.” Andre murmured, finally sitting down next to Tori. Tori leaned on him, moving her legs to dangle over the armrest of the lovers seat. “He hardly eats, showers, or any form of taking care of himself. I can’t even tell if he’s crying or sleeping all the time, he just stays cooped up in his room.” She added, her hands nervously playing in her lap. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “Why is he acting like this isn’t his fault?” Jade hissed quietly, trying to ignore the tears that brimmed her eyes. She sucked in a harsh breath to gain control over herself quickly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “I’m sorry, it’s just as much my fault as it is his. I swear I’m so sorry.” Tori whispered, her brows furrowing in guilt. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “Shut up, stop blaming yourself. I gave him a chance to be honest and he lied, it’s not fair to me for him to act like a baby through all of this. Is he forgetting that he’s the one who hurt me?” Jade choked out, her hand almost gripping the blanket that Cat was using. She took a deep breath to calm herself, looking back at the other two. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “Look, I’m not saying to forgive him. That’s not my place to decide, he made his mistakes. Hell, he’s such a fucking idiot right now. But he’s really heartbroken and hurt over all of this, it’s not easy seeing him like this. You can choose what to do from here, just know he regrets what he did.” Andre spoke, rubbing Tori’s arm as she gave a pity smile. They could see the concentration on Jade’s face, it was clear she was thinking through everything about Beck. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “Look at Cat, she doesn’t have the chance you do right now. I’m not telling you to forgive him either, I don’t even mean to guilt trip you or anything. But Cat would probably do anything to be in your shoes right now.” Tori added quietly, glancing at Andre when Jade looked down. A silence filled the room after that, the only sound heard was Cats whimpers as she tossed and turned in her sleep. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    
  </em>
  <span>    Beck sat on the edge of the bed, his body slouched over as he stared at the item he held between his fingers. A ring. A ring he had specially made to fit Jade’s personality and likes. The black gold band was a bed for the large red ruby that sat in the middle, surrounded by other small crystals. He thought it was perfect. He thought Jade was perfect. He thought them together was perfect. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>      He collapsed on the bed with a sigh, his eyes completely dry from tears. His heart hurt knowing Jade hated him now, and it was all his fault. He wanted her back, he wanted to be happy again. He was tired of being so tired, he was sick of Andre and Tori constantly telling him to stop being such a fool. He was tempted to just sink into the bed completely and disappear, maybe then he wouldn’t have to live in a world where Jade hates him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>      He had fallen into a cycle of just sleeping all day long, only to stay wide awake through the night. His mind replayed memories of every mistake he made, promising himself to never make them again. He regretted every single time he hurt her, the pain amplified now that Jade was gone. He never really expected her to leave, believing their love was stronger than that. It was through the long nights of doing nothing but crying in the dark that he realized she had every right to. He hurt her so many times as a way of protecting himself from getting hurt. She opened herself to him, expecting him to but he didn’t. He remained closed off and tried his best to prove to himself she didn’t actually love him. Even though she did. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>      His phone rumbled with a text, his body moving slowly to read it. The bright screen of his phone caused his eyes to ache in the darkness of the room. </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘Jade’s hurting too, she still loves you man.’- Andre</span>
  </em>
  <span> Beck’s heart soared and plummeted at the same time, his fingers fumbling on his phone to respond with questions but accidentally hit the camera. He was quickly met with a reflection of his own face, his eye bags deep and dark while his untouched beard grew to inches from lack of care. He quickly felt awful, suddenly realizing why Tori and Andre were so concerned. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>      He placed down his phone and looked back to ring. If Andre was telling the truth, that meant he still had a chance. He had a chance to give the ring a purpose, it’s purpose. He quickly moved towards the bathroom, nearly falling over some of his previously discarded clothes. He didn’t want to ruin his chance to make everything right again, he couldn’t bear to know they were both in the same boat. Not when he knew his boat was sinking. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>      By the time he finished his shower, the room was steaming and his skin was almost burnt. The water was at temperatures almost too high for him to handle, attempting to burn away any of the sad, depressed man he was. He trimmed his beard quickly, leaving himself stubble to look more mature. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>      He slipped back into his room to throw on what he believed to be his best clothes. He rushed the process of buttoning his shirt, the fabric becoming lopsided as he hopped towards his shoes. He didn’t even attempt to tie them before running out the door, nearly tripping over himself when he got to the car. He was pretty sure he was honked at almost ten times on his careless drive to Cat’s (of course he didn’t forget to grab flowers).</span>
</p><p>
  <span>      By the time he got there, he realized neither of Tori or Andre’s cars were they. Ultimately meaning they had left during the period of time he was on the road. Suddenly he felt his mouth become taught with unspoken words, afraid of rejection. His hand gripped the bouquet of the costly black roses, breathing steadily through his nose as he nervously knocked on Cat’s door. He hoped Jade would answer. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>      He awkward sat at the door waiting for an answer, his hand clutching the flowers so tightly he was sure he cracked the stems. “Tori, I’ll take care of Cat, she’s fine. Stop worrying so much- Beck?” Jade stood across from, astonished to see him looking so good after everything the others told him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “What’s wrong with Cat?” He questioned, the collar of his shirt feeling too tight while he could feel his hands start to moisten. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “She’s, uh, not doing great.” She mumbled, standing there stiff. Silence overcame both of them as neither knew what to say. Beck hummed softly to fill the quietness, the moonlight casting a soft glow on her face as she stepped out to join him outside. “Beck, I thought I said not to come to Cat’s place. What are you doing?” She questioned, the sound of the click of the door echoing. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>      Beck swallowed hard as he stared at her, watching as she loosely hugged herself in the cold. “Look, I’m really sorry-“ </span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “I know.” She cut off, her eyes staring at the ground. She didn’t want to look at him, not wanting to admit to herself that he looked good. Better than her at least. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “Jade, please.” He begged, trying to get her to look him in the eye. He grabbed her shoulder only for her to weakly push it off, his arm falling to his side quickly. She bit her lip, his hands balling into fists while she glared at the ground. “What do you want from me? Why do you always make me feel like I’m the villain here?” She questioned, shaking her head softly when she heard her voice crack. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>       “I know, and I’m sorry. I can’t say anything else.” He muttered, making her let out a shaky sigh. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “Of course you can’t. Because you just have to keep that perfect image of yours, the one that makes me the bad guy. every. single. time.” She whispered, her eyes watering slightly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>       Beck reached out, grabbing her hand loosely and gripping it tightly when she tried to let it go. “I’m not perfect,” He murmured, almost forcing her to look at him with the softness in his voice. “That was proved when I broke your heart. You were never the bad guy, no matter what anyone else thinks. Everything is always my fault, you’re right.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     Jade’s blue gaze burned a hole through his dark eyes, tears falling from her eyes as she let him speak. He almost became choked up at the sight of her crying, something that only appeared when something really affected her. His hand squeezed hers tighter. “And I-I… I’m the one who ruins what we have. I make so many mistakes and I don’t even know why you didn’t leave sooner. And if it makes you happier to leave me behind then so be it, you deserve better than me.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>      Jade gripped his hand back, her nails almost drawing blood from the strength of her grasp. She scowled as she looked at him, her lip quivering despite her attempts to stop it. “Y-you’re an idiot if you think I’m happier this way.” She hissed, unable to stop the uncharacteristic tears that rolled down her cheeks. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>     He unknowingly dropped the bouquet to cup her cheek, his thumb wiping away the tears falling from her eyes. “Please don’t cry, I don’t deserve it. I don’t deserve the love you have for me. I know that now.” She sighed softly at the feel of his touch, stepping closer to him until their breaths mingled. His breath danced along her lips, making them tingle at the memory of his pressed against hers in a heated kiss. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “You’re right, you don’t.” She sighed, closing her eyes softly. “But I can’t help it because I love you, and it’s stupid. I know.” She let out an airy chuckle, the sound making his heart rate quicken. “Still? You do? After everything I’ve done?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>       Instead of answering his question, she closed the gap between them with a kiss. The kiss was gentle, never extending past their lips simply brushing against each other. She smirked at the way he gasped when they parted, his cool breath hitting her lips softly. “I love you too.” He murmured, pulling her into a gentle hug. She rested her head on his shoulder, her arms moving to wrap around his neck loosely. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “Just because I love you doesn’t mean I forgive you. You still have to earn that much back.” She murmured, her fingers running through his somehow still soft hair. He almost laughed at her words rocking the both of them slowly to the sound of an owl not too far away. “Does this at least mean I can come back home? Andre and Tori are definitely sick of me.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>     She smiled at his words, nodding against his shift. “Still have to sleep on the couch though.” She mumbled, taking a long breath of his scent. He smelled of sandalwood, pine, and his usual musk. The smell almost soothed her completely, forgetting about everything that worried or stressed her out. Even Cat. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “I thought so.” He muttered, smiling into her hair as they waved in the breeze. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>       “Oh, and you can also do all the dishes. And laundry. And cook dinner. Yknow, the hard stuff.” She added, laughing softly at his shocked reaction. Although it took a moment, he quickly relaxed. “Whatever it takes to prove I’m sorry.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>      She nodded, taking a step back. She nearly fell when a crunch echoed under her foot, both of them staring down to see a crumpled pile of roses. “Yeah, I brought flowers if that helps.” He murmured, smiling when she looked up at him confused. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “But I know you don’t really like flowers.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “You know I don’t really like flowers.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>        Jade blushed when their words nearly synced, hopefully showing that their relationship was better than they thought it was. She gently kissed him again, the gentle breeze ruffled their hair as goose bumps covered their body at the kiss. Their love, passion, remorse, and forgiveness flowing through each other at the seconds ticked by. </span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0014"><h2>14. I’ve Made Up My Mind</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>cats case goes to court</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>this chapter low key sucks bumhole bc i have no idea to how to write it, i most definitely will rewrite sooner or later </p><p>or not, idk</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>  </p><p>
  <span>        Cat quietly stepped towards her kitchen, still tuckered out from her previous day of crying. She was confused with the laughter she heard and the smell of bacon, her mornings normally filled with Jade quietly sipping at a coffee while she ate a flavorless granola bar. She didn’t know what to expect when she saw Beck with Jade, both of them dancing around the kitchen while cooking, wide smiles on both of them. She stood watching them from the entryway, tears quickly brimming her eyes. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>       Her quiet presence would’ve been completely unnoticed if she didn’t accidentally whimper aloud at the sight of the two of them kissing, the kiss sweet and making Jade blush. At least she blushed until they heard Cat, quickly pulling away to look at her. Guilt overcame Cat, her hands shooting to cover her mouth. “Sorry, we didn’t know-“ </span>
</p><p>
  <span>      Cat shook her head quickly, trying to ignore the tears brimming her eyes. “No, I’m sorry just keep doing what you guys were doing. I’m just going to..” Cat turned and bolted into her room, closing her door quietly to prevent a slam before collapsing on her bed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>      She couldn’t help the sobs that escaped her, multiple different emotions coursing through her. She hated herself for being jealous of her friends, wanting nothing more than to have that happiness for herself. She wanted Robbie back so they could be like that, cooking happily in the kitchen before work or taking care of Arthur. She wanted her son back too, wishing she had someone she could be happy with. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>       She curled into her blanket, pulling Rex into her chest. His hard plastic head and plush body did little to comfort Cat nowadays, Robbie’s smell almost completely faded from the puppet. Even so, Rex caught most of her tears when others didn’t. Like now, her tears seeping into the yarn on his head. She closed her eyes and buried her face into the toy, wishing for the millionth time that when she opened her eyes things would be different. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>     Instead she heard a knock on her bedroom door, making her silence her cries. “Cat, you don’t need to pretend. I already heard you crying.” Jade’s voice stated from the other side of the door. Cat was tempted to tell her to go away but bit her tongue, knowing it was childish. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “Jade, I’m f-fine. I’m not hungry either, so you can leave.” Cat murmured, refusing to open her eyes. She was thankful that Jade didn’t intrude without permission, positive that any composure she managed would fail her at the sight of her friend. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “Cat, I’m sorry.” Jade began from outside the room, glancing at Beck as he stared at her concerned. “I knew how much you were hurting and completely forgot about it. Yesterday you were a mess and I forgot about even considering the fact that this is your house.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>      Cat hated the way her lip wobbled, a frown forming on her face as tears dripped down. “No, I should be h-happy that you’re happy. It’s my fault, I’m being s-selfish.” She muttered, her fingers caressing the diamond ring of her finger. She couldn’t help the way her voice cracked, cursing herself for revealing her hurt even more. “Just please leave me alone for a little at least, I’ll get ready soon.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>     Cat heard Jade sigh, her steps slowly fading away but not before placing the plate of cold eggs in front of the door. She groaned at the awful start of an already crappy day. She wouldn’t survive in that courtroom, not in front of her mom. She was an idiot for even thinking she could get her baby back. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>      Cat hadn’t even realized she fell asleep until Tori was the one shaking her awake. She attempted to hide herself in the covers, groaning when Tori ripped them off like Jade would. “I don’t wanna.” She argued groggily, her arms sore from being wrapped around Rex for at least an hour. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>       “You don’t wanna get Arty back?” Tori questioned, making Andre groan from the doorway of the room. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>       “That nickname completely sucks, bae. I’m telling you we should call him squirt like in finding nemo.” He argued, smiling. Cat flinched, </span>
  <em>
    <span>bae</span>
  </em>
  <span>, something so innocent. She hated herself for being jealous of her friends, it made her want to jump off a cliff. She almost face palmed from the radiating happiness coming from the two. Why did it seem everyone was happy and hopeful but her? Did they not realize what was on the line? Her life basically. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “Squirt sounds gross.” Tori said, sticking her tongue out at Andre. Andre repeated the action, Cat’s heart squeezing in pain at the couple. She hid the way she grimaced in the pillow, sighing loudly into the fabric. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “The thing isn’t until like one, I’m pretty it wouldn’t kill you guys to let me sleep.” Cat groaned, pulling at the blanket in Tori’s grasp. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>       “It’s like 11:30 yknow, if you want to get there early…” Tori mumbled, smiling softly when she shot up from her bed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>       “Huh? It was just 8 am-” Cat mumbled, looking at her phone to see they were correct. “Why didn’t anyone tell me?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>       “What do you think we’re doing? Jade and Beck were too nervous to wake you up.” Andre responded, watching Cat as she moved off her bed. Cat froze at the mention of Beck and Jade, her previous pain sinking into her veins. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “I’m fine.” Cat murmured, looking at the floor as she walked to her closet. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>     “We didn’t say you weren’t.” Andre spoke, Tori quickly adding on. “Which tells us you aren’t.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “I need to get ready anyway, I just want my baby back.” Cat muttered tiredly, grabbing a random blue sundress before slipping into the bathroom. She showed quickly, the water near boiling, trying to rid herself of the terrible feeling under her skin. Her skin was red by the time she was out, the bathroom filled with mist. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>       The gang watched her as she stepped into the living room, her makeup done surprisingly well, hiding her tired eyes. She wore her usual attire these days, a dress with one of Robbie’s old jackets. The faded brown fabric of the oversized jacket complimented the light blue of her dress, Cat grabbed shoes to match. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>      None of them wanted to point it out, but it was clear that she was openly avoiding looking at the couples. Overcome with too much guilt and jealousy. She completely ruined the moment between Beck and Jade and immediately regretted it. Why’d it seem like everyone else had a shiny sun over them while she had a rainy cloud? Why did her rain have to cover everyone else’s sunshine so much? </span>
</p><p>
  <span>      It was easy for Andre and Tori to tell that Cat was a bundle of anxiety and nervousness on the drive to the middle of the city. She didn’t respond to their countless attempts at speaking and stared silently out the window. Her hands gripped Arthur’s blanket tightly, bringing it with her just in case he needed it(an excuse for her). She hugged herself loosely as she thought of previous encounters with her attorney, worrying about the unlikely outcome of today.</span>
</p><p>
  
  <em>
    <span>“There’s no way I’m taking this case.” She muttered, shaking her head as she pushed away the paperwork. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>      “Huh?” Jade snapped, staring at her with a shocked expression while Cat whimpered. Cat used her hands to cover her face, trying to stop the tears that threatened to fall. “She can pay you, this is what you’re good for. Isn’t it?” </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>      “It’s pointless. Helping a pop star gain custody of her child when he seems to be in good hands? For what? You’re young, you still have time to be a kid.” Elizabeth Sawyer spoke, her expression arrogant. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>      “It’s not like that,” Cat murmured, her brows furrowing in hurt. Did everybody see her as that? Some irresponsible kid? It made her frustrated, which made her want to scream. Well she wanted to until she remembered that screaming was childish and only helped them. “If it was I wouldn’t be doing this.”  </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>      “I don’t see why you can’t just try and work for weekends with the kid? It’s a more likely battle to win and you can still keep your career the same. You can use your time to sing and lallygag with other people like you. Make another baby later on if anything.” Elizabeth mumbled, fixing her glasses before turning in her chair. “Shouldn’t you trust your mom? After all she raised you.” </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>       “It’s because she raised me, I know he can’t stay with her!” Cat argued, her nails digging into her palm with her hands balled into fists. “I know it looks bad but I’m not some stupid kid. I know what’s good for my son and it’s not with her!” </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>      Jade placed a hand on Cat’s shoulder, directing her to stay professional. Cat’s face turned flush when she noticed that Elizabeth was staring at her with raised brows. She took a breath before sighing, looking at the ground. “I’d throw everything I have away for him. My fame, my career, the money. He’s all I-I have left.” </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>       “Good, so you’re passionate about this. That’s a start.” The lawyer mumbled, making both Jade and Cat stare at her confused. She shrugged, her lips curling into a smile. “I don’t accept cases for nothing, I’d never have any fun.” </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>      “Fun?” “For nothing?”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>       The two friends were still confused, making the woman laugh. “Call me Ms. Sawyer from now on, your new lawyer. The best in the game.”   </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>      “Lil’ red?” Andre spoke, his voice soft as he stared at her through the rearview mirror.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>       “Hm?” Cat glanced at Andre, biting her lip softly when she saw the concerned look in his eyes. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “You don’t need to worry, it’s going to be fine.” He murmured, giving her a hopeful smile. His smile faded away when she only looked away, her grip tightening on the small blanket in her lap. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>      The three pulled up to the state courthouse not long after, Beck pulling in minutes later. Cat’s gaze focused on her mother’s empty car, meaning that she had come earlier. Already a bad start. Cat stepped out of the car hesitantly, watching as Jade was already there to hold her hand. Cat shakily took it, her hand grasping Jade’s almost too tightly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “I’m sorry-“ Cat began, quieting when Jade shook her head. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “Don’t worry about it.” Jade murmured, leading Cat to the front of the building. There, they met up with her lawyer, Ms. Sawyer stood there with professional attire and a straight face. </span>
</p><p>
  
  <em>
    <span>“So your mom, she’s not good?” Elizabeth questioned, looking at Cat through her glasses. Her pen tapped on her clipboard, her chair squeaking as she turned. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>      Cat sat there with Andre this time, the guy sitting there with head in his hands half asleep. “She forced my brother to take a crazy amount of pills for who knows how long. She forgot about me the second I graduated.” Cat murmured, staring at the carpeted floor. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>     “What do you mean forgot about you?” Elizabeth asked, staring at her with a confused expression. The normally stoic girl seemed intrigued, moving to write things on her notebook. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>      “I mean she literally texted me on the day of my graduation to not contact her and that I was on my own. Mind you, that was after she dumped me off at my aunts. It wasn’t like she was there for my child either, she was always out somewhere, I had to stay at my friends house for dinner most of the time.” Cat mumbled, crossing her legs nervously. She hated talking about the bad things that happened to her, it made her feel like she was searching for pity. She was relieved when she didn’t receive any. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>      “And your brother, do you have any evidence for that?” The woman asked, scribbling quickly on her paper. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>      “I think there’s the prescription papers somewhere in my kitchen, she had him on like twenty different pills.” Cat tried to ignore the way this felt like therapy, talking about her trauma in order to feel better? It made her feel weak. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>      “Would it be possible for him to be a witness on trial? Or is he not … stable enough?” </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>      “No, uh, he’s getting help right now.” Andre replied while rubbing his tired eyes, noticing the way Cat became choked up at the question. If only she knew how much Cat wished she could see her brother. The hospital insisted they needed to keep him alone in order to get a full diagnosis. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>       “Your relationship with your mother is botched then?” </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>       “That’s an understatement.” Cat choked out, battling the tears that threatened to fall. “I don’t know why she feels the need to take away my son, but it isn’t for him. She doesn’t have a heart big enough to care about my b-baby like that.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>       Elizabeth was able to see Cynthia as she arrived, even managing to greet the woman. She couldn’t help but be shocked at what she saw, expecting someone along the lines of a crackhead. Instead, she was met with a woman who cleaned up nicely with a broad smile. </span>
</p><p>
  
  <em>
    <span>“Good morning, I take it you are Cynthia Valentine?” Elizabeth greeted, giving the lady a friendly smile. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>      Cynthia carried Arthur’s carrier with her arm, a blanket covering the boy from the sunlight. She wore a fairly formal dress, her makeup done well enough to hide the lines on her face. Her brown hair with white streaks was pulled into a classy high bun, her expression friendly as she responded to Cat’s lawyer. “Yes, of course. And you are?” </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>      “Mrs. Sawyer, your daughter's attorney.” Elizabeth stated, shaking Cynthia’s bony hand quickly. “And that is the man of the hour I assume?” She added, gesturing to the baby carrier. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>       “Oh, yes! He’s had an energetic morning so I guess the little guy’s a little tuckered out.” Cynthia joked, making Elizabeth chuckle politely. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>       “Just means he’s growing.” She responded with a smile. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>      “Ah, well it was a pleasure meeting you but I oughta go inside, I don’t want Arthur to get uncomfortable outside.” Cynthia spoke, patting the handle softly. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>      “Yeah, yeah, go ahead. It was good meeting you too.” Elizabeth watched as Cynthia walked away with a smile, stepping up the steps of the building quickly. She couldn’t help but question the things her client told her, hearing Cynthia was a bad woman multiple times but seeing a polite woman confused her. Even though she was used to it. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>       “Good afternoon.” Elizabeth greeted, frowning when Cat made a sound in acknowledgement. She placed a gentle hand on her shoulder, rubbing it softly. “Don’t let the stress get you, it will be a simple thing. The judge will most likely speak, ask questions, call up someone for a testimony and decide. You should have custody by the end of the day if all goes to play. These are simple things.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “Okay.” Cat murmured, her voice quiet. She nearly tripped at the way Elizabeth quickly patted her back, making her stand up straight. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “Don’t do that,” She said, smiling at the way Cat stood straight awkwardly. “You can’t let them know you’re nervous, confidence is key when it comes to things like these. You have to show you’re ready to raise that kid.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “I’ll try-“ “You won’t try, you will.” Elizabeth quickly corrected, almost making Cat stumble. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “Ok, I will.” The group quickly made their way into the lobby, the room scattered with people who’s lives seemed to be falling apart. Cat hated to think that maybe she was one of them. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>      Elizabeth’s eyes strained to try and find Cynthia, surprised when there was no trace of the woman. “We should be allowed into the courtroom quickly, just remember to not falter when spoken to. It will make you seem incapable of raising a child, much less a baby.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>      Cat nodded, squeezing Jade and Andre’s hand like her life depended on it. Both of them squeezed back softly, comforting Cat slightly. At least she wasn’t alone, even if it sometimes felt like it. She nearly threw up when they finally entered the main courtroom, a smaller private version for situations like hers. The smallness of the room didn’t help with the distance of her seat from everyone else’s, it felt like miles as she struggled to not look back every two seconds. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>       She felt the bile in her throat rise when her mother finally walked into the room, carrying her son in a carrier. She swallowed hard when she heard Arthur make a sound in the silence of the room, the first thing from her baby she’s heard in months. It didn’t feel real. She could never forget that sound, she was almost angry when her mother’s voice drowned out his squeals. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>       Cynthia greeted her lawyer, an old looking man. “Yeah, my guy’s going to be here soon. Don’t fret.” Cynthia whispered, placing Arthur down next to her. She quickly tried to play doting guardian in front of the two officers that stood in front of the judge’s stand, moving to quiet the baby. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “Shh.” She hushed softly, moving the blanket away slightly to which Cat wouldn’t be able to peek in. She smiled down at the baby, inwardly cringing when he kicked his legs out before whining. Cynthia quickly placed his pacifier back in his mouth, holding it down so he couldn’t spit it out. Begrudgingly, the baby stilled, sucking on his binky quietly as she covered him with his blanket again. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>       Cat stared straight ahead once Arthur settled, afraid to stare too long in worry of being too focused. She played with her hands in her lap, waiting desperately for the meeting to start. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>      Cynthia checked her phone quickly, smiling when she saw the message. “My guy says he’s outside, he’ll be here in a second.” She told her lawyer, smiling when they heard the doors click. “That must be him now.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>      Cat glanced backwards, her heart dropping when she saw who walked in. The rush of emotions she had left her feeling confused, hurt, and betrayed. The rest of the gang seemed to be all the same, even Tori’s jaw dropped some. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>       “Hey, sorry I’m late. I had to finish off a business call.” He stated, quickly walking up and greeting Cynthia. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>        “Steven, you know that’s no issue.” Cynthia stated politely, shaking his hand softly. “All that matters is you’re here, right?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>        Cat’s manager nodded before moving to sit behind Cynthia, glancing over at Cat to catch the absolute look of horror on her face. He had to hide his smile, turning to look forward as the Judge walked in on time. Cat’s eyes quickly shot forward, watching the judge as he entered. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>       “Good Evening Judge Wallis.” Elizabeth greeted with a gentle smile. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>        “Ah, nice seeing you once more Mrs. Sawyer.” He responded, his deep voice shaking Cat to her core. “Evening to you too, Mr.?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>        “Mr. Greyson.” Cynthia’s lawyer stated, dipping his head politely before sitting down. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>         The judge sat at his stand before going through his files on the case, his face concentrated as he skimmed through the papers. “So, we’re here on account of a custody hearing for Arthur R. Shapiro?” He questioned, causing both the lawyers to respond with “Yes sir.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “Cynthia Valentine?” He questioned, looking up. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>       “Here, sir.” Cynthia replied, giving the judge a friendly smile. The judge didn’t smile back, instead looking down at his paper. “Caterina Valentine?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>        “Sir.” Cat squeaked, trying her best to keep eye contact while she played with her hands. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>     Cat couldn’t help but believe that most of the trial was a blur, her focus fogging as she sat through both their attorneys arguing over who would be a better fit for being a parent. She tried to ignore the pain in her chest whenever her mother and her lawyer claimed she was unfit and childish, most likely only causing her baby harm. She was a little hopeful when Andre and Jade spoke, both of them agreeing that she was a suitable, if not amazing, mother. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>        It was hard to sit through Elizabeth bringing up points through her childhood and with Pat, insisting that Cynthia wasn’t a good person. Cat tried to read the judge’s expression, hoping that he understood how much Cynthia hurt her and Pat. But he remained stoic, hiding his emotions behind a mask of professionalism.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>        She could’ve ripped out her own hair when the judge began to ask what seemed like hundreds of pointless questions. She tried to calm herself, her eyes always falling back onto her baby inside his carrier. He was so close yet so far, not to mention she couldn’t see his little face either. Not with that thin blanket draped over him. “So you’re with him 24 hours a day?” The judge questioned, looking at Cynthia. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “Yes sir.” Cynthia replied, hiding her annoyance from the million of questions she’s answered. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>       “So you don’t have a job? A source of income?” The judge said with risen brows, making Cynthia hesitant. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>       “Uh, correct sir. But money isn’t a problem.” Cynthia responded after a second, her fingers twitching. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>       “Mhm, and Caterina, it’d also be just you raising him? His father is deceased, I see?” Cat blinking, perking at her name. She forced herself to tear her eyes from her baby, looking at the judge with an unsteady gaze. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “He died in an accident last year, sir.” She murmured, her eyes falling down as she bit her lip. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “And you guys were still together at the time?” He questioned, making Cat tremble. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “We were engaged, sir.” She choked out, avoiding him as he looked at her. She could tell that Elizabeth was disappointed in her for being weak, it was made worse with the fact that she had spent the last hour defending Cat’s ability to parent and Cat couldn’t even sit straight. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “Apologies for your loss.” He mumbled, Cat nodding in acknowledgement. “And you’d also be able to care for him 24 hours a day? Or is this music thing time consuming?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>      Cat swallowed before shaking her head. “No, I have enough income to be able to take a break until he’s in school if needed.” She could almost see the way Steven fumed, angry at her for even considering taking an even longer break from music. “I can have it arranged to do most of my music at home also.” She squeaked, basically hearing the way Andre nodded in agreement. He was the one that’d be able to get that done.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>       “You do understand how big of a responsibility this is? A baby isn’t a toy or publicity stunt.” He spoke, making Cat fear that he was just like the rest. He believed she was still a child. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>       “I know. I knew that every time I’d take him to the doctor and they’d tell me my little baby was growing.” Cat murmured, her palms soaked with sweat. “I know it might not seem like I know because of everything but I promise I’m not like that. I’ve said it before, I’d give up my fame and everything else I have in a heartbeat for him.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>       “Sir, if I may?” Cynthia’s lawyer spoke up, interrupting Cat. “Isn’t it time to pull up my witness?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>       “Mr. Greyson, we are in no rush.” Judge Wallis muttered, staring at him with a hardened gaze before nodding. “But you may.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>       Cat was close to fainting when Steven took the stand, unable to take her eyes away from him as time passed. She couldn’t hear anything that was said, the blood rushing in her ears too loud. “I know her pregnancy was very tough with everything that was happening, but as her manager I couldn’t help but notice everything wrong. There were times when I wasn’t sure if she’d hurt herself or not, like when she’d call me hysteric. ‘I can’t do this anymore’ she’d tell me.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>     Cat’s ears perked, staring at him confused. He stared directly at her, watching as her eyes filled with tears. “She would refuse to do anything but lay in bed for days, even now. It was a shock to me that her baby wasn’t malnourished. As a father figure to her, I want nothing but the best.” Cat shook her head, her tears falling softly. She forced herself to look at Elizabeth, her eyes questioning everything. “I think it would be better for her to be able to grow and mature more with her baby in a safe environment. One where everyone knows they’re both safe.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>       Cat wasn’t able to stop the tears that flowed, her hands not moving to wipe them. She trusted Steven and he took that trust and crumpled it. It made her want to scream out at him, to call him a liar in front of everyone.  “You know what I mean? She’s still a kid, a pop star at that. She’s not ready.” Steven finished, shifting to look at the judge.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>       “Okay, that’s enough. I’ve come to a decision.” The judge stated, forcing all his notes and papers into a pile. </span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>it took a while bc like i said i didn’t know how to write it, so sorry if it kinda sucked</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0015"><h2>15. The Wail of a Baby</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>the judge makes his decision</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p><p>
  <span>       “Okay, that’s enough. I’ve come to a decision.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>       Elizabeth almost jumped at this, scared the final testimony pushed him to his decision. “Judge Wallis, are you completely positive about this? I’m just saying for the two months I’ve gotten to know Caterina I know she has to be the most genuine person I’ve worked with.” She began, not listening to him as he tried to interrupt her. Cat tried to hide the way her shoulders shook, the trembling of her lip as she sniffled. The gang stared down at the floor as Jade stared straight ahead, not having lost hope. “She’s 100 percent ready to raise that boy. She doesn’t want him to face the trauma she did as a child.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “Mrs. Sawyer, you indeed know how unprofessional you are being currently? This could leave you with a citation.” The judge boomed, looking directly at her. She held herself under his gaze, staring back with just as much force. She believed in her client and wasn’t ready to lose. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “I also know that Caterina Valentine deserves to be with her son.” She replied, her hands pressed on the desk in front of her, too fired up to sit in her chair anymore. Cat watched her stand up and was ready to sink into her chair even more and cry. She hugged herself into Robbie’s jacket tightly, praying and hoping that she didn’t fail him by losing. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “Sir! Is she not ruining the verdict? She’s trying to sway you from your choice!” Mr. Greyson shouted, echoing in the small room. The sound made Cat freeze, her grip tightening on her arms while she waited to hear the cry of the baby, the loud noise most definitely startling Arthur. The judge quickly told him to sit down and lower his voice, shaking his head quickly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>     Cynthia was close to decking her lawyer when her grandson finally burst into cries, knowing she was terrible at getting the young boy to calm down. She bit her lip when she noticed all eyes were on her, even if it mainly included Cat’s friends and the Judge. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>       “Well, are you going to check on him.” Jade scowled from the back seat, letting out a pained </span>
  <em>
    <span>umph </span>
  </em>
  <span>when Tori nudged her painfully. Andre had his head in his hands, shaking his head as he watched painfully. It all made him want to cringe forever. Beck stared at the judge with tired eyes, desperate for everything to end.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>       Cynthia’s eyes snapped towards Jade with a deadly gaze but was met with one that was just as deadly. She quickly glanced at the judge who raised a brow, “Go ahead.” She held back a scowl as she lifted his blanket slowly, his cries clearer without it covering him. At the sight of Cynthia, like always, he burst into loud sobs. She carefully lifted him by his armpits and cradled him softly, the entire room watching for what felt like hours as she struggled to calm him down. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>      She could feel Cat’s hurt gaze without even looking, having to swallow any words she was tempted to say. </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘He’s not a big fan of loud noises.’</span>
  </em>
  <span> she’d possibly joke, maybe lighten up the room. Or even </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘He’s never really liked lots of people.’</span>
  </em>
  <span> but that could be proven wrong, clearly with the fact of all her daughters' friends. She had raised two kids, she knew how to settle babies but Arthur always held a grudge. It almost made her want to scream, or even hurt something. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>       “Due to an earlier testimony, Andre Harris mentioned that Caterina was amazing with Arthur. Could I see that in action then?” The judge questioned over the sound of loud wails, looking at Cat as she shakily stared at him. She couldn’t help the shaking in her hands, she was shocked she hadn’t fainted yet from stress. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>       “I can do it, he’s just being moody.” Cynthia argued as Arthur cried into her shoulder, rocking him softly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>        “I think it’d be best if we let her.” He spoke, glaring at Cynthia as she sighed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>         He motioned for both of them to stand, Cat having to stop her knees was shaking. He watched as Cynthia handed Cat her baby with a clenched jaw, Cat carefully receiving her sobbing baby with quivering hands. The rest of the world seemed to fade away quickly once Cat was finally able to actually look at her son for the first time in what was honestly months but felt like years. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>        “Hey, baby. M-mama’s got you.” She murmured softly, trying to ignore the crack in her voice. She gently held him against her, his cheek pressed against her collarbone as he cried. She ran her hand against his back softly, cooing quietly. Her nose buried into his mop of soft curls, his baby smell invading her senses. She was close to bursting into tears when he gasped for air as he quieted down. Cat supported his neck while his fists tangled into her ruby hair, pulling it closer to him as he whimpered. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>      As his mother, she was able to see how he changed from the last time she was able to hold him. His body a tad bit bigger, his baby fat growing onto his chubby cheeks. She wouldn’t have remembered the fact that she was in the middle of the courtroom if Mr. Wallis didn’t clear his throat, reminding her what was at stake. She felt her throat tighten as she glanced at him, her hold on her baby subconsciously tightened. Even Arthur silenced at this, staring up at his mother with his wide brown eyes, his fistful of hair moving towards his mouth. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “I haven’t changed my verdict.” He stated, looking into Cat’s terrified eyes. His words made everyone on Cat’s side gulp, afraid of the worst as Cynthia smirked. Her smirk quickly fell once he continued. “Frankly, I don’t even see why we’re here in the first place. Most points given against Caterina have no evidence and there seemed to be no valid reason for the child to have been taken away in the first place.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>     Cat tried her best to connect the pieces, reading his expression as best she could. She could hear the relieved breaths and gasps from her friends, quickly wondering if what she thought was true. “If anything, I find Cynthia Valentine unfit to parent.” Cat burst into sobs of relief, unable to stay quiet once she realized what it meant. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>      Mr. Wallis quickly slammed his hammer down softly, trying to not make the child cry again. He pushed his papers aside, smiling back at Elizabeth before turning to his officers. “Caterina Valentine is now the full time guardian of Arthur Shapiro, and that is final.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>      Cat’s lowered her head to try and hide her crying face, her sobs making Arthur squirm. Jade and Andre high-fived each other while Beck and Tori smiled. Elizabeth sighed for another completed battle, Mr. Greyson scowled as Cynthia stood there in disbelief. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>      “I want to investigate the previous order of guardian change for the fact that there is no reasoning for the change. I’d like Cynthia to be put in police custody while that is going on, I know due to previous testimonies it is normal for her to disappear. I want it to be on account of kidnapping, not to mention her drugging of her son.” He added, watching as the two cops moved towards Cynthia. She argued in disagreement quickly, trying to move away from the officers. “What? This is crazy! You realize the papers are official!” She argued. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>        “Court dismissed!” </span>
</p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>This might be the end of this story!! Ill def gonna make a continuation following Arthur’s life growing up but i’ll also start writing other stories so if there are any ships or plots you wanna see lmk</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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